The Legend of Spyro: The Darkness Rises
by Fresh blood
Summary: Spyro and Cynder awaken to a changed world in the most unfortunate of situations. Seperated from any form of help they must try to escape or be forced to yield before Malefor. Set after TEN. SP/CY. ON PERMENANT HIATUS!
1. Awakening

**Well the logical step for me would have been to move into the Spyro catagory, wouldn't you think? Anyway, this is my third story, I hope it is well recieved and that I get a few readers and reviewers. Those that have read my stories will know that I have a tendency to include quite a bit of fluff - happy feeling stuff for those who don't know. Well you can probably expect the same here but I'll try my best to keep it to a reasonable level, which I believe I'm getting better at. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.**

Convexity was always interesting. The floating rocks and islands dotted about the open space and the few planetary bodies that shone brightly gave the area a somewhat beautiful quality. Cynder, however, cared little for beauty. She still looked around the area though, taking in the strange sights; the curious creatures that inhabited the warped space; the diffused purple light that made it possible to see; the large pillar in front of her, which was the source of the purple light.

"Why you were placed above me still eludes me, dragon." A gruff, harsh voice suddenly spoke, bringing Cynder away from her observations. She turned and looked down at the diminutive ape, the slightly disturbing green gem which had replaced his left eye staring back at her, unblinking. Then she chuckled, her own voice sounding strange to her, so different from the voice she first remembered not long ago when she hatched form her egg.

"What's wrong, Gaul?" She questioned, revelling in his misery, "Are you jealous that our master prefers me over you? And after you so 'lovingly' raised me too, just goes to show how much he values you doesn't it." Gaul only snarled at her, knowing that if he attacked her he would be disciplined by their master, not to mention quite possibly injured, gravely.

Cynder laughed again and then looked back at the purple light, basking in its glow. She had no feelings for the ape king. She acknowledged that he had at least fed her, but only barely, and did make sure she wasn't attacked by the other apes she was forced to live with, much. But he was still the one that chained her in place whilst her body was ravaged

and forced to grow, excruciatingly painfully too. She would have no problems killing the ape if her master would allow it, but as it stood he didn't, so she was forced to remain loyal to the foul smelling creature, just as he was forced to remain loyal to her.

"It seems he still favours dragons," A third voice began, "Well I do admit that they do have their charms, their strength and magical abilities are certainly incredible. But I still agree with Gaul, you should have been placed third among us, not first." Once again Cynder was brought from her musing to look at the one who had spoke.

"That's so nice of you to say, Sorcerer, I am certainly powerful and I do have many abilities, but you forgot to mention my incredible beauty too." She replied to the black robed and cloaked figure. She smiled inwardly as his calm stance shifted to an irritated one. She didn't know much about him, as his voice was definitely male, she didn't know what he looked like or his true capabilities. All she knew was that he spoke with a dignified tongue, proudly and proper, and that he was easy to irritate with just a few simple words.

"I was the one that made it possible for you two to be here. I spent years dabbling with the arcane arts until I accidentally stumbled upon a portal that brought me to our master's prison. If anything you two should be below me." He had continued, that is until Gaul suddenly moved towards him.

"And why would I take orders from such a frail looking creature as yourself?" He challenged, drawing closer to the Sorcerer, "You're probably nothing but a twig beneath those robes, with beady little eyes behind your shroud."

The Sorcerer gave a malicious chuckle and then extended an gloved hand. "Do not let my outward appearance deceive you, Gaul, I have more power contained within me than you could possibly imagine." He punctuated this by generating an emerald ball of flames, that dripped embers between his fingers and splashed upon the cold stone below.

Cynder laughed, causing both the combatants to turn to her. "You with your pretty lights and you with you brainless brawn. What does it matter what you think? Our master's choice is final, your opinions on that choice is trivial." She turned from the two and looked back at the purple light. She smiled at the silence that followed.

--

She almost had the purple runt. If it hadn't been for the meddlesome guardian she would have had him and that would have been it; no more annoying pest to interfere with her plans. Although, it had worked out in her favour. She now had the unconscious form of the final guardian inside the machine that would drain his power, the final power needed to release her master.

With nothing else to do until the guardians power had been drained into the crystal she sat down, finally finding the time to rest. She took solace in the fact that Gaul was still on the move to the secondary objective, 'The Vault of Souls'. He would be traipsing through the desert now, looking for that depraved mountain without a moments rest, which made Cynder quite pleased.

All in all her mission had been quite successful. She had captured all of the guardians, the fact that three of them had been rescued was besides the point, their powers had already been drained into crystals and taken back to the alter in Convexity. When the final guardian's power was taken to that alter, her master would be able to break free of that place, and emerge in 'The Vault of Souls' on the Night of Eternal Darkness, which wasn't far off.

Without her efforts, her master would not have been able to escape his prison. The thoughts of the rewards she would receive upon his release made her smile. Perhaps he would give her her own army, rather than the idiotic apes that bumbled there orders, and completed them to mere satisfaction, never rising above the bare minimum. Maybe a palace in a brighter area, rather than the dark and foreboding residence she inhabited now. Or maybe a few dragon slaves to play with, perhaps if that purple runt survived, her master would make him her slave if she asked, her castle could do with a thorough cleaning.

The machine in front of her suddenly sparked to life, sparks of energy bouncing along the glass walls, originating from the now twisting and twitching dragon within. She knew it wouldn't take long for the fire element to be drained from him and into the crystal, perhaps and hour at most. "Cy-Cynder," the voice of the guardian suddenly cried. "Why are you d-doing this?" He questioned, with no answer. Cynder stared coldly at him, wondering whether she would have to gag him like she had done to the irritating electric guardian.

"Soon my master will be free, and I'm sure he will have a few words for you guardians. I do not think they will be pleasant. Now, be quiet and just let the energy leave your old and frail body. I must say that you weren't a very worthy challenge, compared to my youth and power, you're nothing." She paused, taking joy in the pain on the dragon's face.

She was about to start gloating again but the sound of screeching apes interrupted her train of thought. "One moment, dragon, I'll be back shortly." She then moved towards the edge of the tower and peered over the ledge. Flashes of red, green, yellow, and blue illuminated the base of the tower, and the apes that were being beaten back by non other than the purple whelping. "That little pest, he just doesn't give up does he." She said to herself. The guardian had overheard.

"Sp-Spyro." He said. Cynder whipped her head around. With a flare of her torn wings, she jumped from the ledge she was on and landed gracefully in front of the machine, her slim form allowing her to not make a sound, aside from the clicks of her claws on the marble.

"Ah, so he has a name." She said as she swished the blade on the tip of her tail threateningly behind her. "Spyro is it, well if he plans on rescuing you he will have to go through me." She laughed as she watched the red dragon's eyes widen. "It's been a while since I've had a little fun."

--

How had it happened? She roared as the pathetic runts not so pathetic attack pummelled her body. She had asked her master for additional power, but as she felt her body fill with energy from the purple light, she saw that her opponent had also received a small portion of energy backflow, enabling him to hit her with a powerful attack. The force lifted her of the ground slightly as the purple energy waves pummelled her again and again, preventing her from falling forwards and but at the same time keeping her upright.

She found herself thinking that maybe she shouldn't have gone so easy on him at her castle, that maybe allowing herself to have a little fun wasn't the best decision she had ever made. But how was she to know that he would follow her here and prove himself to be her undoing.

She was still roaring when she felt her body begin to grow weaker and her mind begin to shift. She accepted that this was the end, and she looked back over her short, but accomplished life. She had brought the dragons to their knees, defeating their most powerful warriors with single blows and hunting down the ones that fled, enjoying the chase they provided her with. She took joy in watching their bodies litter the ground and could at least take comfort in the fact that, despite her defeat, she had still managed to accomplish her task and bring the last crystal to the alter, breaking the seal that imprisoned her master.

But then she suddenly felt different. All those precious memories she was just looking over replayed in her head, but in a different perspective. She could clearly see the horror in the dragons' faces as she delivered blow after blow, laughing maniacally all the while. The bodies that littered the floor didn't bring her joy, but sorrow and regret. But worst of all she realised the true ramifications of her actions. She understood now, understood that her master was not supposed to have been released. He should remain in his prison, where he cannot wreak his terrible powers upon the world.

The little runt, no, Spyro, was right in his attempts to stop her, and as she began to fall forwards to the ground, the effects of the young dragon's attack dying down, she realised that he would be the first to die when her master escaped, and she felt sorrow for him.

Then, as she felt her body hit the cold hard stone, she suddenly felt so small and weak, so helpless than she did only ten minutes ago. With nothing to keep her awake she moved her neck slightly and with a gasp, and a strange feeling of growing smaller compared to the world around her, she closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable, either her death, or her master's punishment. She preferred the former.

--

Why had she left the temple? She looked through the bars of her cage at her captors, they looked almost as stupid as the apes, if not more so. She couldn't believe that she had been careless enough to be captured by them in the forest. But there had been too many of the dumb creatures for her to tackle on her own, perhaps if she was a powerful as she used to be she would definitely have killed them all.

She then shook her head, dismissing the thought. She didn't want her old self back, the memories of her actions in that form haunted her every moment, she didn't want to add more on to them. But that couldn't be helped. She was being forced to fight now, just as ruthlessly as she had once done, as the result of her refusal would either by death, or thrown overboard the giant airship, which would probably result in her death anyway if her captors had any sense to bind her wings beforehand.

Maybe she should have stayed when Spyro asked her not to go. She wouldn't be in this predicament if she had. In fact she was sure she would be safe and warm in the dragon temple, and not in a cage, sleeping on a bed of straw, with some disturbing smells drifting through the corridor.

No. She had too much guilt to have stayed. The reason she left was that she couldn't stand all the apologies the guardians kept on giving her, and the unearned trust that Spyro had placed in her, despite her despicable actions. If anything she should have been apologising to them, over and over, but she didn't think that would have been enough. They gave her some of their food, and allowed her to sleep with them, even though if she was her former self she would have slit their throats with her tail whilst they slept.

It was all too much for her, so she got herself up ad decided to leave, which she was completely fine with, at least until Spyro caught up with her. She had almost made it when the young dragon suddenly asked her where she was going. She would have preferred it if no one had seen her leave, so that they wouldn't have tried to stop her, which is why she made herself sound so resolute when she answered.

The look on his face when he told her that he didn't want her to go actually caused a small twinge inside her. But she ignored it, instead, redoubling her belief that she didn't deserve his friendship, or any friendship for that matter, but least of all his. So she left, ignoring that niggling feeling at the back of her mind, telling her to stay.

That was how she ended up here, fighting for these pathetic and weak-minded fools amusement. She had become their prize catch, taunting her that she was now a mere attraction, rather than the fear instilling queen of darkness that she once was. But that didn't faze her. She was merely fighting until an opportunity arose for her to escape, she would be damned if she was going to grow up in their clutches, becoming little more than a pet.

The cage door suddenly opened, one of her captors stood there, looking as stupid as ever with his tongue hanging limply from his open mouth. He pointed to the arena doors and muttered something about a bonus match. She looked at him a second longer before sauntering out of the cage and moving to the doors.

A bonus match. Obviously something had quickly risen through the ranks in the arena, quicker than Skabb had expected. Maybe this was her chance to escape, if this opponent was wise enough he may be willing to help her in her attempt. But she wouldn't know just what help she would be receiving, not until her introduction had been finished and the doors opened, which happened two seconds later.

--

She didn't think the chain was necessary. Sure she would probably try to escape without it but she wouldn't have gotten very far. She suspected that the collar and chain was just a form of degradation. In fact the ape that was in charge of her seemed to enjoy pulling on the chain and dragging her around like a pet that needed to be walked.

She thought the ape actually believed that when he offered her a treat and tried to pat her head. He was actually dumb enough to bring that disgusting hand close enough to her jaws so that she could bite it, which she did. Unfortunately it resulted in a few beatings but she didn't mind because no ape tried to treat her like a pet again.

It seemed that none of then remembered that she was once their master's most powerful servant, well all accept Gaul. He found extreme enjoyment in taunting her and making a public show of how he was now stronger than her. She wanted nothing more than to kill him, now that she wasn't under the Dark Masters control she had nothing to hold her back, well despite from the chain around her neck and Gaul's obvious superior strength.

She was actually feeling scared, from time to time, something which she had never felt before, even when the dreadwing had scooped her into it's talons and carried her off the airship, back to Gaul's forces. She was scared because of what Gaul had said to her. In the middle of his gloating he had mentioned that his master may take her back under his wing for her faithfulness to him, something she was not looking forward to.

If she was corrupted by his influence again she would undoubtedly become her other self, growing unnaturally to her adult size and gaining superior powers and abilities. To any this may have sounded tempting but ever since she had seen Spyro on the ship she knew that she would never willingly hurt him again. But if she conceded to the Dark Master's control he would most definitely make her kill Spyro, slow and torturously for his enjoyment, and most probably hers with her twisted and sadistic personality.

She hoped that Spyro had escaped the ship, in a much more pleasant way than hers. The ships had been bombarded by Gaul's forces and as she was carried away she looked back to see the arena ablaze. But she saw no sign of Spyro amidst the wreckage. Wherever he was she hoped he was safe, she didn't want the to find him in the near future, whilst under the control of the Dark Master again. She doubted that her fond feelings of the small, purple dragon would save him from her destruction.

--

She gave a sharp intake of breath as she suddenly regained consciousness, her memories finally stopping their constant loop in her dreams, which felt like they had been doing so for an incredible long time. She shook her head slightly, noticing that her movement was restricted, until she bent her head slightly and found that she was encased from the head down in an amber crystal.

Slightly panic stricken she tried to move her other muscles but found that she couldn't even feel them within her prison. She grunted and gasped as she shook her head with what little mobility she had trying to break free but to no avail, she was utterly stuck. Defeated, she then began to wonder how her head had been broken free. She could see Spyro in front of her, stuck in the position of one using their powers, but only his horns were free of the crystal. She looked at the gap between her and him and noticed that the crystal seemed to have been chipped away.

"Ah, you're awake. It's about time, General Cynder, we got your head free a few hours ago." Someone suddenly said. She tried to twist her head to see but without the aid of her neck she just couldn't. "Don't worry about not being able to move, you will be free soon enough, but first we need to release your little dragon friend's head too, you'll see why when it has been done." Cynder then recognised who the voice was coming from, Malefor's third in command, The Sorcerer. "Oh how the mighty have fallen." The Sorcerer gloated, either about her diminutive size or the fact that she was now at his complete and utter mercy, either one annoyed Cynder profusely.

**Well, what do you think? Review and let me know. Now, concerning updates, I will be trying to get one done every weekend, either with my updates for my other two stories or on the Sunday afterwards. As with my other stories I will not discontinue this, I will see it to the end so you have no need to worry that it will have no ending. Thanks for reading and I hope you come back for future chapters.**


	2. Joined

**Well here is chapter 2, I hope you enjoy it.**

"What are you doing here, Sorcerer?!" Cynder spat, still trying to turn her head to look at him but it was no use, he was remaining behind her to avoid being seen. He laughed at her struggles, the sound chilling Cynder's blood as she realised that she was truly at his mercy, which she doubted would be forthcoming.

"I'm here for the purple dragon, and you of course, although I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see you here." Cynder heard the sound of movement and The Sorcerer stepped into view, his gloved hand resting upon the crystal between Spyro's horns. "I _had_ thought that you were dead, after what happened at convexity. But obviously I did not witness what had occurred there, only that you had recovered the powers needed to free our master and then did not return to your castle."

"He is not _our_ master, he is _yours_, and he must be stopped." Cynder argued.

"On the contrary, my dear Cynder, he is in fact the master of us all, and it is far too late to stop him. He was released on The Night of Eternal Darkness where Gaul was bested by this pitiful dragon," he said as he stroked Spyro's protruding horns, "and ever since then he has tasked me, his last remaining servant, with releasing you from this…'interesting' crystal."

"And why does he want you to do that, he can't honestly hope that I will still join him?" Cynder asked sceptically.

"Actually he does. He has the utmost faith in you, Cynder, something which I don't really understand but who am I to question. He has confidence that you will return to his side when you see him, in fact, he almost guarantees it. And when you do he will order you to exact the punishment upon this generation's purple dragon, something which I am sure you will relish."

Cynder's eyes grew wide. "I would never do that, even if I did return to him, something of myself as I am now would remain, at least enough to prevent me from hurting Spyro." This little outburst seemed to amuse The Sorcerer as he tapped his finger against the tip of Spyro's left horn.

"And what makes you so sure of that?" He asked. Cynder did not answer, she only stared at him with defiant eyes. The Sorcerer lowered his hand down the horn and then gripped it, confusing Cynder. "You, Cynder, are needed, this, Spyro, as you have named him, is not. As such I believe it is necessary to make him less of a threat so that he will be more…manageable." His grip then began to tighten and Cynder's pupils contracted as she realise what he was doing.

"No, stop!" She cried out as the sound of cracking could be heard. She thrashed her head about trying to do something but she was helpless. "I said stop it!" She cried out again, her eyes starting to leak tears. The cracking grew louder and The Sorcerer began to laugh at Cynder's pain. Finally after a few more agonizing moments for Cynder a loud and sickening snap was heard and Cynder roared at the horn now held in The Sorcerer's hand. "I'll kill you!" The distraught Cynder shouted, her eyes blazing with rage and wet with tears.

The Sorcerer only ignored her as he stared at the horn. "It's amazing isn't it." he said as he held the bloody end of the horn out in front of Cynder, who recoiled at the site. "Your horns have absolutely no feeling in them, yet they have a blood supply, albeit a small one. That must be how they grow I suppose, something must carry the material needed for them." He looked at Cynder, who was sobbing quietly. He placed the horn on the crystal in front of her, forcing her to look at it, until she closed her eyes. "I didn't expect this much of a reaction from you, a little bit of anger, sure, but not outright sorrow.

"That is why you think you wouldn't hurt him," He suddenly said as he made the realisation, "You have feelings for him, don't you?" Cynder refused to comment, but the fresh tear that slid from between her scaly eyelids and down her snout said more than she ever could. The Sorcerer laughed. "You do! Why Cynder, I didn't know you were capable of such feelings."

"I will never rejoin Malefor!" Cynder suddenly shouted.

"You will refer to him as 'Master'," The Sorcerer, replied, his voice suddenly gravely serious, "And willingly or not, you will join him, and when you do you will be tasked with destroying the object of your affections. Your feelings for him may conflict for a time, but they will always be pushed aside by the darker side of you, love has little power under the Dark Master's influence."

Cynder did not reply, she knew that he was wrong, or at least she hoped she did. The Sorcerer picked up the orange horn and held it close to Cynder. "There was once a time when you rejoiced at the sight of your enemies blood, you will learn to do so again." He said as he dabbed the bloodied end against Cynder's cheek. She hissed at him and a few more tears escaped her before he removed the horn, leaving a patch of blood upon her scales. "I believe I'll keep this, powdered dragon horns can be extremely useful in all manners of magic and potions." He then pocketed Spyro's horn in one of the many folds of his robe before sauntering off, leaving Cynder alone in the dark cave.

She looked at Spyro, now missing his left horn and the one that would have been closest to her. He still had the same look on his face and Cynder doubted that he knew what had happened, or if he even felt it. There was still an inch of his horn left behind, however, it had snapped away from the crystal. This meant that there wasn't much blood like there would have been if it had been ripped from his scales, most likely tearing them too. As she looked at the small trickle of red liquid pooling around the crack she could feel the same substance on her cheek. She wanted to get it off but she had no intention of licking it away, which was her only option at that moment. She considered what to do next, and seeing that there was no point in avoiding it or doing anything else she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

--

The sound of scraping and chiselling woke Cynder a few hours later. The sound grated against her ears and she opened her eyes to glare at whatever was making the noise. As it was unpreventable she saw Spyro first, his broken horn now scabbed over. The next thing she noticed was the two apes chipping away at the crystal around him. Cynder growled quietly to herself. Asking them to stop would be futile, and she certainly didn't want to start a conversation with one of them. So she resigned herself to the inevitable boredom she would now be forced to experience.

She glanced around the small area she could view with her limited movement. The crystal she was in seemed to be embedded in a wall, the top of it chiselled away so the apes could stand within the hollow to work on the crystal. Outside within the darker cavern Cynder could see barely anything noteworthy, except for the small amount of light that shone in from wherever The Sorcerer had forced his way into the mountain. The chamber that Cynder remembered was barely recognisable, however. The cave-in had changed the layout of the room substantially and she could not see any of the fine stone work, however twisted it may have been, adorning the floor or any of the walls. The statues were long since reduced to rumble and any pots, ceramics or stone carvings had been crushed. The cave looked like any other cave, nothing special about it whatsoever, apart from the crystal and the history that is.

The apes had removed several large chips from around Spyro's head, revealing purple scales here and there. They removed larger pieces first and the took greater care when chiselling close to Spyro's body, careful not to chip a piece of his flesh away. Cynder found herself thinking that she could do a much careful job extracting Spyro from the crystal, she was quite talented with her tail. She also wanted nothing more than to kill the apes, take the gems that they left behind and then escape with Spyro before The Sorcerer even knew what had happened.

She was contemplating these thoughts when she felt a hand place itself on her head. She jerked away from it but it took a firmer grip, holding her head in place. Then she heard the sound of rustling as someone removed something from their robe, cloak, coat, whatever. Then the sound of chiselling grew louder as the crystal around her neck began to be removed. She could feel the vibrations pass through the mineral and into her body, providing her with a strangely soothing feeling, yet at the same time slightly painful.

The very top of Spyro's head had now been broken free, his brow twitching as it tried to relax from its position but incapable of doing so due to his facial muscles below still trapped. Cynder was looking forward to his awakening, she was growing bored and also needed someone to talk to in order to concoct a plan of escape.

Unfortunately for her the entire process was taking some time. The apes were not as efficient as she would have hoped they were and after an hour they had only managed to get Spyro's head free down to the top of his snout. She, however, had a good few inches more of her neck free, allowing her more movement and a greater field of vision. The apes had stopped working on her though, so she was still stuck for how ever long the Sorcerer wanted.

Spyro's face had relaxed though, he no longer had the concentrated look that it had been fixed in. Cynder gazed at his purple scales and the power that each one of them contained. _He does have a certain…appeal._ She thought, before quickly shaking her head. _No, I can't start thinking like that, it would only complicate things._

Another hour passed and the apes finally picked up their tools and left. Spyro had the same amount of his body free as Cynder had, almost exactly the same, give or take an inch. His head rested limply against his neck now that there was nothing to support it and he looked like he had just been sleeping through the whole ordeal. Cynder watched the apes' reflections in the crystal and as soon as they had left she began to wake up Spyro.

"Spyro, Spyro, come on, wake up." She began, wishing she had another part of her body free so that she could poke him to increase her waking power. He didn't even respond to her, it was if he was still trapped within the crystal, unaware of the world around him. "Spyro, this is no time to be sleeping, wake up." She said a little louder. Still no response. She sighed, figuring that he would only wake when he was ready, it must have taken a lot out of him to put them in that crystal.

As she looked at his sleeping form she realised that he looked different. She shifted her head to the side to gain a better perspective, trying to figure out what it was. She thought he looked older somehow. His face had lost that childish muzzle, it had grown more refined and muscular. His brow had also grown slightly, making his eyes appear smaller. All in all he looked more mature, closer to adolescence than hatchling, a lot closer. She contemplated this and then realised she was staring and looked away with a blush. _Wait, why am I blushing? There's no one else here._ She thought as her face returned to normal. Seeing nothing better to do she took one last look at Spyro and then went back to sleep.

--

A low rumbling sound entered Spyro's mind as he began to regain consciousness. He couldn't quite place what it was but it sounded close. He opened his eyes when the noise got his curiosity going and then he remembered what had happened. He quickly tried to look around but found his movement restricted. Looking down he found that he was still trapped with the crystal that he somehow made. He could see an entrance into the cavern that they were in a small ways away and light poured in from it. He couldn't see anything of interest beyond it, however, so he brought his attention back into the room and the sound that had woken him.

It was coming from his left and as he turned towards it he saw the sleeping form of Cynder, her head resting limply against the crystal in front of her. She was snoring, much to Spyro's amusement, and the small trickle of drool that seeped out of her ajar mouth amused him even more. As he looked upon her he noticed that her snout had become longer, thinner too. Her horns had grown out and her entire face had become more angled. She looked older to him, a more mature dragon, and he liked the change in her appearance. He quickly shook his head, removing those thoughts from his mind and then decided it was time to wake her.

"Cynder, wake up." He simply said. She snorted slightly, making Spyro grin and then fluttered her eyes open.

The first thing she noticed was Spyro grinning at her, she then noticed that the side of her snout was wet and realised she must have been drooling. She blushed as she tried to lick it away and then blushed even more so when Spyro laughed. "Oh, stop laughing, I only fell asleep because I got tired of waiting for you to wake up." She said with a small sense of embarrassment.

"You were snoring too." He replied, much to her chagrin.

"I was not!" She challenged, her face growing even more red.

"That's what woke me up," He answered with a small chuckle but then noticed her cheek, "Are you hurt, whose blood is that?" He asked. She lowered her head to and looked away. "Tell me, Cynder." Spyro said.

"It's not my blood, Spyro, it's yours." She answered, which confused him, he didn't feel hurt. "You left horn is broken." She continued.

"My what…" He said as he tried to do something to see if it was still there. He shook his head trying to feel the familiar feeling of his horns cutting through the air, it did feel a little different to him but he couldn't be sure. "How did that happen?" He asked.

Cynder was about to answer when a voice cut in front of her. "I ripped it off, of course." Spyro looked at the entrance and the shrouded figure that entered the cavern. "And I thank you for it, I have many uses for this." He continued, pulling the horn out from within his cloak and brandishing it for Spyro to see.

"Who are you?" Spyro asked, a small growl escaping from within, the sheer anger at having his body violated brimming under the surface.

"Has my dear friend Cynder not informed you? How very odd." He replied, taking a glance at Cynder who glared back at him. "Obviously not, well you see, Spyro, I am here to ensure that you do not interfere with our master's plans."

"_Our_ master?" Spyro questioned. "How many of you are there?"

"Why just the two, of course, myself and Cynder, you killed Gaul, remember?" He replied, placing his hand upon Cynder's head between her horns. She tried to bite him but he pressed down firmly and prevented her from getting her jaws at the right angle.

"Cynder doesn't have a master anymore." Spyro said defiantly.

"Of course she does, Spyro. As soon as she sees the dark master again she will bow before him and embrace her duties as his general, killing you as her first command." Cynder shook her head free at that point and snapped at The Sorcerer's hand, who pulled it away just in time.

"I will never rejoin him and I won't hurt Spyro!" She shouted, causing The Sorcerer to laugh.

"You still think you have a choice? You have nowhere to go, either of you, and when I'm done you won't be able to go separate ways either, which will limit your chances of escape even further." He said and then reached into his cloak and pulled out two sickly, green collars.

Spyro and Cynder were wondering what exactly they were when The Sorcerer began to chant. As soon as he was done the glow intensified and he dropped the collars on the crystal in-between the two dragons. They writhed about and began to shift, taking on forms that almost looked like snakes. Then they began to move away from each other, one of each making its way to one of the dragons.

The Sorcerer laughed as Spyro and Cynder tried to move their heads away from the snakes but with nowhere for them to go it was pointless. Spyro cried out as he felt the collar begin to wrap around his neck. One end of it formed the mouth of a snake and bit down on the other end as if it was biting its tail. The same occurred with Cynder, and when both were in place a burst of green light shot between the two, connecting them at the neck until it faded, the collars seemingly fading into the dragons' bodies.

"What was that?" Cynder asked, feeling slightly frightened.

"Just a little something to make you more easy to watch. You see those make it so that you two can't get very far without the other, perhaps a few meters at most." He replied, making Spyro and Cynder gasp. "That way even if one of you escape you physically can't get very far, and even if you do both escape if we find one of you we find the other, it's as simple as that."

"We'll just have to escape together then, not that we would leave without the other anyway." Spyro said, still determined to be defiant.

"Oh I'm sure you'll try, which is why every time you do I will lessen the distance you two can be separated. If I felt like it I could have it so that you couldn't even move your necks from each other, which would be easier for me but I don't think you two would enjoy it much." He retorted, making Spyro close his mouth. "I thought so, now we can get you completely out of that crystal. Pretty soon, Cynder, we will have you back in service, and it seems you don't have to go through as much forced growth as you did before, but then again three years would do that to you wouldn't it." The Sorcerer then left, leaving the two gob smacked dragons alone.

"Three years!" Spyro exclaimed, thoroughly shocked at the revelation.

"No wonder you look older." Cynder replied as shocked as him.

"I'm not the only one." He said, looking at her again. She met his gaze and then felt a blush arise to her face. She looked away quickly, confusing Spyro.

_What's wrong with me?_ She asked herself.

**Please review. I was questioning the wisdom of posting this story so close to the release of the new game, but I had forgotten that the game comes out in October in America and November here in England, I though I would have had more time. Hopefully though you will still stay with the story, I don't want to have to stop because people will know how the third game ends and think this story pointless.**


	3. Escape

**This story has long been overdue an update, and there is a reason for that. I've been all over the place recently, college, driving lessons, work, etc and it also doesnt help when you don't know what you're doing with the story. Well all that's sorted out now, well apart from the college bit but that can be managed. Another author's note at the end of this chapter but until then enjoy the chapter.**

Cynder tapped her claws against the retreating crystal, bored out of her mind at having to sit there for the past few days. Her time had been spent on idle conversation with Spyro and putting up with The Sorcerer's repeated visitations to gloat and pester the 'Young Queen of Darkness' as he had dubbed her. Quite frankly the name didn't bother her, only what it implied she would do to Spyro.

She had come to the realisation that she cared for Spyro simply because he was the only person she knew. Of course, the guardians at the temple fell into that category but whatever brief conversations she had held with them had been incredibly formal and she thought, whether it was due to her guilt or whether they were actually doing it on purpose, that they avoided her when she walked into a room, only talking to her when they must.

Spyro, on the other hand, always went out of his way to talk to her. If he was going to the training grounds and Cynder happened to be down a hallway he would detour down that hallway to speak with her despite the fact that the new path he had taken would take him several more minutes to reach the grounds. His conversations were also never formal, aside from his initial greeting which usually consisted of him asking how she felt or how she had slept the night before if it was in the morning or he caught her yawning. At first she thought it awkward and actually tried to avoid him until she grew accustomed to his personality and sometimes actually looked forwards to their conversations, even if she did say very little.

"What are you thinking about?" Spyro suddenly asked through a yawn, startling Cynder in the process. She looked up at him, his purple eyes fixed on her turquoise pair. He looked as bored as she was but she sensed that he was just trying to relieve her of her own boredom, his own didn't matter to him.

Something in her mind clicked and for a fraction of a second she wanted to say 'you' and tell him exactly what she was thinking. But she repressed that thought before she could blurt it out and looked away out of embarrassment. She looked back at him and caught his expression of puzzlement and then quickly said, "Nothing, just bored."

Spyro smiled at that. "Oh, I could tell you were bored, that incessant clicking your doing is proof, and rather annoying too."

"Sorry," She muttered as she stopped tapping the crystal.

"That's ok," he assured her, "there's nothing else we can do, but at least we can actually move around a little now." Cynder nodded in agreement. They were almost free of the crystal, with only their hind legs and tips of their tails embedded within the amber formation, _no doubt to stop our escape attempts before The Sorcerer has a chance to get ready for our transport,_ Cynder thought.

Even as she thought this, apes began entering the cave and resumed their excavations, shortly followed by The Sorcerer, who was now wearing Spyro's horn around his neck, the centre piece among various different jewels; obviously he prized it more than anything. "Well, it is almost time for us to leave your little hideaway," he said, waving his arms to indicate the cavern he stood in. "Soon, Cynder, you will be back with our master and you, whelp, will be destroyed by her."

Cynder glared at the horn around The Sorcerer's neck and found herself growing angry; the horn belonged to Spyro. "It won't work," she shouted out, "I won't become what I once was!"

The Sorcerer looked at her and the folds of his robes on his head shifted slightly, as if he was smiling. "My dear 'Queen'," he said as he stepped towards her and placed his cloaked hand on her head, "you have no choice. You weren't born with this mark upon your brow you know." Cynder looked up at the arm holding her, her heart racing. She knew the mark was for something, it was just too random for it to mean nothing. "This mark was placed on you during your service to Malefor. It ensures that if you had managed to escape, as you did, it would make you more susceptible to his influence. Just being close to him would make you turn."

"I-I wouldn't…" She began to say, but then trailed off in defeat as she lowered her head. If she couldn't fight against it what hope did she have? She couldn't even fight against the dark master without being turned into his puppet, becoming the very thing she refused to be.

"She's stronger than that," a voice suddenly pealed out, making Cynder look up. "She resisted Gaul when he captured her and even pulled me out of the energy flow from convexity. Not once was she tempted to take the power for herself." Spyro said, fierce rebellion in his eyes directed towards the one who had stolen his horn.

"You were exposed to the dark energy from convexity?" The Sorcerer said, almost astonished. "How…interesting." He simply said, making Spyro's face shift from rebellion to confusion. Cynder remembered that energy well. It was the same energy that had caused her transformation, her initiation into a service she never requested. She was taken from her egg, bound in chains and then thrust into the beam of energy, the strength of which caused her to float into the middle of it, absorbing the most of it into her body in the most efficient way.

"It matters not," the Sorcerer continued, although his mind now seemed occupied, "despite what you want to believe, Spyro, she will give in and there's nothing you can do about it." He then turned to leave, _even you might give in, _he thought as he left their sight.

Cynder lowered her head, now disheartened and resolute to her fate. No matter what she wanted she would always be linked to the foul influence of the Dark Master, to serve him and carry out his will against those that opposed him. "Cynder?" She looked up from her thoughts of despair and locked eyes with Spyro again. "You will always have a choice," he said to her, "no matter what he says he can't take that choice away from you. That mark on your head is just that, nothing more than a mark. It has no power and if you don't want to rejoin him in your heart you won't." He then paused for a few moments, allowing his words to sink in before finishing, "I have faith in you, Cynder." Those last six words echoed inside her head and reverberated throughout her self-esteem, reinforcing it and allowing hope to resurface.

_He's such a strange creature, _she thought to herself as she gazed at his older, and therefore, alien face,_ he always knows what to say, even more so than Ignitus. _She smiled at him which caused him to smile back. "Thanks, Spyro," she said, "I won't turn against you or the other dragons. I don't exactly know how I'll do it but I'll resist him." _For you,_ she thought before she caught herself. She had no idea why she was thinking these thoughts, she had known Spyro for only a short while and she admitted she had grown to accept him as at least a friend…but she doubted that she could think of him as anything more than that. But there she was, having strange feelings for him.

The resumed feeling of her tail brought her attention away from those thoughts as the apes finished carving it from the formation. She curved it around to her face, slightly put of by its new extra length from her growth inside the crystal. That, in itself, was disturbing. The past three years was lost to them yet they still grew and had no recollection of it. She wondered whether this would cause them both trouble with movement because of their new sizes.

She watched as Spyro's tail was slowly set free and then eventually their legs and they were able to stand, which they clumsily did so. Spyro looked back at the crystal at the frozen form of Sparx who the apes had made no attempt to try and release. "We'll come back for him later but right now we have to get out of here," Cynder whispered. She then whipped her tail around at the four stupid apes, killing them before they could react and providing her and Spyro a means of escape.

Spyro leapt down from the hollow in the wall and after he had gave the area a quick survey Cynder followed. "As soon as we get out we have to fly," she said as they cautiously made their way towards the exit.

"We should head towards the temple," Spyro suggested, which was answered with a curt nod from Cynder. "If we can get there and if it hasn't been taken by Malefor then we'll be able to find the guardians and they can help us."

Little noise could be heard from outside apart from the quiet howl of the wind which brushed against the opening and sent a chill into the two dragon's directions. Cynder looked at their wings, they had grown in length and breadth; they would undoubtedly carry them further and faster than they could ever have gone before. She looked at Spyro and as he looked at her she nodded and the two ran out of the cave.

A large group of apes were waiting for them, however, and although Spyro shot a burst of flames into their midst there were still too many and they had to separate. Cynder went left and Spyro went right. They ran a few feet, their paths free of obstruction but as they smiled, stretching their wings in preparation for flight, a string of green energy shot from both their necks, meeting exactly at the midpoint between them. A half second later that energy was pulled taught as the dragons moved further apart and when it could not stretch any further it stopped the dragons in their tracks.

Cynder coughed and gagged as she felt something pull on her neck. Her neck was forced to stop but her momentum forced everything below that to carry on moving forwards. This choked her again as her neck was held in place and her body pulled on it until her legs left the ground and she fell hard on her back. The impact left her dazed, she was faintly aware of the string between her and Spyro shifting slightly as Spyro tried to move, but that soon stopped as he fell unconscious. With no source of stimulation Cynder's own mind began to recede into an unconscious state, and the last thing she remembered before total darkness was the quiet sound of laughter.

--

The dragons were being loaded into a cage, the cloaked figure observed. The Sorcerer had done something to them first though, he had moved to the centre of the strange green rope that had suddenly appeared, placed his finger on it and then the two dragons came together, shortening the distance between them by a few feet.

_Some sort of punishment?_ He thought as he fingered the tip of an arrow. He had been watching over the cave for sometime now, a guardian of sorts, although he was never assigned the task. He knew that the two dragons down their were important, the purple one was well known through legends if not by name, and he remembered writing a letter to him during their brief imprisonment on the scavengers' duel ship.

Of course the black dragon was also well known, this time by acts. She was Cynder, the dragon who had brought the realms to their knees in a short two years, crippling the dragon population further after the Year of the Dragon when all the eggs were broken. She had been changed, however, he knew that much, by the purple dragon that was imprisoned with her. Although others would probably disagree if he brought her back to Avalar, she was just as important as the purple dragon, if only to keep her away from the Dark Master.

The cage was on wheels, and it was now being pulled down the mountain by dreadwings. Why they didn't fly the dragons to their destination confused him, but he wasn't one to complain, it meant he could investigate the cave and track the dragons afterwards, rather than try and run underneath them as they flew away.

He waited a few minutes until the cave and the area around it was empty and devoid of activity before finally approaching the mountain, climbing up until he reached the entrance. He drew his bow and notched an arrow as he entered, a precaution against any stragglers. The floor was strewn with chips of crystal, the amber shards casting strange shadows on the walls from the scarce light that managed to hit them.

He moved towards the now broken crystal, lowering his bow now that he was sure he was alone and glanced at it briefly. He was about to move on when something caught his eye within the crystal. He placed his hand against it and peered through at the frozen form of a dragonfly. It looked familiar to him, he was sure he had seen it on the ship with the purple dragon. The Sorcerer obviously didn't think the dragonfly was important enough to carve him out of the rock.

The hunter, which coincidentally was his name, looked around the floor for something to excavate the dragonfly with and soon found a chisel by a group of spirit gems. He contemplated them for a moment before dismissing them, they were of no use to him, only dragons. He then took another look at the dragonfly and began to chisel.

**Now, this story will be taking a change of direction to what I planned. I had planned to make it follow directly on from The Eternal Night but since the game came out in America (and several spoilers have been revealled to me) I had lost my motivation to write which is why it's taken me so long to update. I now have a plot and although I think it will be good it has shortened the story, this will be the common length of chapters from now on and I doubt there will be more than 15 chapters, maybe even no more than 10. But due to it's shortness a sequel could be in order... In any case, please Review, I have noticed a decline in reviewers and it would be helpful to my motivation if you could leave them, I'm finding it harder to write these days with so much going on and words of encouragment will go a long way. (please keep spoilers out of your reviews, I cant get the game until the middle of November and it would be incredibly cruel of you to spoil it for me, plus I can be vengeful, so be warned)**


	4. Heat

**I hope there's still people interested in this story, it's been months since I've updated, November 1st if I recall correctly. I can only apologise for the lateness, I guess I just haven't been able to think up stuff to move the story from the start to the end. As such I've added a plot element in this chapter that will help me reach that ending, which I really want to write because I think the ending would be a nice twist and simply because it's so clear in my mind that it'll be easy to write. Well that's enough ranting for now, enjoy the chapter.**

The slow and monotonous rumbling of the cage as it was pulled along the parched earth was what roused Cynder from her sleep. She became all too aware that her neck was sore at that point, although she supposed that would be expected after forgetting she was tethered to Spyro, resulting in a very pathetic escape attempt.

"Good morning," she then heard a hoarse voice speak and she turned to see Spyro lying down on a pile of fur on the other side of the cage. The tether between them was visible and it appeared it could only stretch another half foot before it could go no further. She then looked to where she was sat and noted that if she got up and tried to stand next to the bars besides her the rope would not allow it. "I don't suppose you could help me get to that water there?" He again asked in the same cracked voice as he motioned to the bucket of water just out of reach.

She nodded and made to stand, wincing as her back protested against the strain. After a mild effort on her part she was standing and walking towards Spyro, who moved to the bucket to drink. She noticed that the green string of energy flickered and vanished as they moved closer, making it seem they weren't linked in anyway. She experimentally flicked her tail across the area that the tether had occupied and it passed through without resistance. She did the same again when she moved away and the tether reappeared and found that it was in fact tangible but only when visible.

"I did the same thing," Spyro spoke up in between drinks, "I also tried to break it but I couldn't do anything to it."

"What's wrong with your voice?" Cynder asked and then realised hers sounded rough and harsh too, it also hurt.

"Well we did almost strangle ourselves," Spyro replied, "not to mention break our backs." He moved away from the bucket and lay back down upon the furs, grimacing as he did so. Cynder then went to the bucket to drink and found that it was painful to swallow. She struggled past that however and felt the relief of the cool liquid slipping down her long throat, soothing her neck from the inside out.

"So where are we?" Cynder asked as she returned to her own pile of furs. She looked through the bars of their cage at the desolate wasteland before them. She could not see the crumbled mountain of Malefor in any direction so they had already covered a reasonably large distance. There was nothing of any interest whatsoever to keep her occupied, nor any place for them to run to if they managed to escape.

"I don't know, but I know why we're staying on the ground and not being flown to Malefor," Spyro answered with a smirk. Cynder looked at him quizzically, and then snorted. "What?" He asked, cocking his head to the side, which only resulted in making Cynder laugh.

"I'm sorry, Spyro," she said between laughs, "I don't want to laugh but I can't help it, you just look so funny with only one horn." Spyro rolled his eyes but was still self conscious enough to look at his shadow, now distorted due to the missing horn.

"It'll grow back…" he said glumly as he rubbed the stump with his right forearm. Dragons often lost their horns in battle but it wasn't common for them to grow back in the same shape. "I just hope it doesn't look too strange, I don't want to have to try and even it out by filing it against a rock."

A low growl drew Spyro away from his musings and he looked at Cynder who was staring at him intently from her furs and shaking slightly. "Cy-Cynder?" he asked meekly, "Are you alright?" He received no response and she continued to stare at him; he had no idea what she was thinking.

_Get a grip, Cynder said to herself._ But before she could stop the thoughts in her head one managed to reach her mouth. "I could even that horn out for you," she said with a seductive grin. The comment startled Spyro, who blushed slightly.

"No thanks, Cynder, I'm sure I could do it myself." He replied, managing a weak smile.

Cynder was unperturbed, however, as a lapse in her efforts to control herself allowed more thoughts to enter her head. "Oh, come on, Spyro," she said as she began to rise to her feet and stalk closer to him, "all it'll take is a little chewing." She flashed her teeth at that comment and Spyro jumped to his feet, wincing slightly from his aching back.

"Cynder, you're acting strange," Spyro protested as he began to back away from her. The cage was only so big however and soon he was backed up against the bars, with Cynder slowly advancing on him. What made it worse for him was what Cynder was doing as she grew closer. When Spyro had moved away the tether had reappeared, at that point she had grabbed a hold of it and began to wind it round her right foreleg, therefore keeping the tether taut and making it harder for Spyro to escape.

"You can't run from someone you're bound to, Spyro," She muttered through a grin as she came to a stop, her snout a few inches from his. _Fight it, Cynder, _a voice in her head suddenly called out, _don't embarrass yourself. _The voice went ignored as she inched closer and rubbed her muzzle against Spyro's.

_No!_ Cynder came to her senses almost immediately after she shouted at herself. She reeled back and blushed furiously as she looked at Spyro. He was sat motionless on his hind legs, face flushed and his scales a darker purple than usual, clear evidence of intense blushing. "I can't believe I just did that!" She exclaimed as she dropped the tether and ran to her furs, promptly lying down in them and covering her head.

Spyro was simply speechless, he had no idea what had just happened, her behaviour confused him more than anything she had ever done before. He finally managed to move from his position and cautiously approached where Cynder lay, still with her head buried beneath her claws and furs. "Cynder?" He asked.

She groaned in reply, "Ignore it, Spyro, I don't know what came over me."

He looked down at her form, noticed the way she laid and then noticed the scent in the air he had begun to smell a while ago had grown in strength. "Cynder, I want to know what all that was about, I can't just ignore it." She remained quiet, too embarrassed to talk. "Do you have feelings for me?" He finally asked, causing Cynder to stiffen.

Sensations began to rise in Cynder again after the question had been asked but she quelled them before any could take root. She gingerly looked up at Spyro from beneath her paws. He just stood there, as still as a statue, awaiting a response. "I-I don't know," she answered, truthfully. "There's something wrong with me, I don't understand it."

Spyro gave a look of confusion and Cynder groaned again, "Everything you do Spyro causes me to have thoughts…feelings. They weren't so bad when we were stuck in the cave but since we left they've began to grow in intensity, I don't know what the matter with me is."

"Well, are you ill?" Spyro asked. He placed his wing over the top of her head to check for a fever but when she moaned he pulled it back.

"Well I do feel hot…" She hastily said when Spyro looked at her puzzled.

"She isn't ill." A voice suddenly called out. It was then that Spyro noticed that the cage had stopped moving, and peering through the bars was the Sorcerer. He seemingly glanced at Cynder, and then to Spyro, who was kept from leaping at the bars by the tether.

"What have you done to her?!" Spyro asked, smoke rising from his nostrils, unable to use his fire due to his lack of energy.

"Why, Spyro, how could you accuse me of doing anything to one of a higher rank than myself? I assure you that if I harmed her in anyway I would be severely punished." He motioned for the two apes with him to open the cage and they did so. He then told them to inspect over Cynder.

It was then that Spyro decided to attack, leaping at the apes and throttling them. Cynder made to stand but watching Spyro in all his heroic glory made her legs weak and she tripped up over her feet. When the apes exploded in their typical fashion Spyro quickly made for the gems they had left behind.

But before he reached them they inexplicably moved out of his reach. He turned to watch them, just as they appeared in the Sorcerer's hand. "Thank you, Spyro; you saved me the trouble of killing them myself. But I do wish you had killed them at a later time, they were my last two minions." With that he absorbed the crystals, a brief flash of light dazzling Spyro.

"So there is only you escorting us?" Spyro asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Apes out live their uses, Spyro, I will be granted new servants when we get closer to my Master's temple. But trust me; you have more pressing matters to worry about." He then closed the cage with a flick of his wrist and a flash of green light. "You may be in luck, though, when Cynder finally bows before her Master again she may ask to keep you as her love slave." He then began to walk away.

Spyro shouted after him, "What's wrong with her?"

The Sorcerer stopped, "She's in heat," he simply said, then continued on his way out of Spyro's sight. A couple of seconds later and the cage was on the move again, pulled along by the dreadwings that were capable of flight, but chose not to for the reason Spyro had discovered; the Sorcerer didn't like heights.

"What's that supposed to mean," Spyro muttered. His thoughts were interrupted by a shiver down his spine as he felt something run along his back. He turned round to see Cynder stroking her chin against him, her eyes unfocused and her posture slack. "Cynder?"

"Hmm?" She mumbled as she looked at him. She then realised what she was doing and promptly stopped. "I need a drink," she quickly responded as she looked away from him, to embarrassed to keep eye contact. Spyro watched her go towards the bucket and followed before the tether sprang to life and force him to move anyway.

"You don't need to be embarrassed you know," Spyro said as he watched her drink deeply. "If you can't help your actions then it's not your fault is it?" Cynder didn't respond, keeping her head down as she drank to avoid looking at him. "I mean, I don't mind that much, it was just a shock at first."

"It's not that simple," Cynder suddenly interrupted. Spyro quietened down, waiting for her to continue. "I'm trying to fight these…urges, but at the same time I don't want to." She brought her head from the bucket and went to lie down. "And I think it's only going to get worse from here."

Spyro watched her lie down and a thought came to him, _I don't think I can handle it if she gets any worse._ He then lay down on his own pile of furs, watching Cynder suspiciously, not ruling out the possibility that she might try to sneak over to join him.

--

"Then take me to the dragon guardians, they'll be able to help me," Sparx pleaded as Hunter exited the cave. He was regretting saving the small dragonfly, it had done nothing but complain since it had awakened.

"They are situated in Warfang," he replied. "If I take you there I will have no hopes to track those two dragon friends of yours and stop them before they reach Malefor."

"But you said a powerful sorcerer has them," Sparx argued, "it sounds to me that you'd need powerful fat things that can shoot magic out of their faces, and where else are you going to find one of them if you don't go to Warfang?"

Hunter carried on walking, but he did admit he wouldn't be able to save the dragons alone. "Are you sure the dragon guardians will be able to help?"

"Are you kidding? Have you seen them? They're huge, ugly, and can do all sorts of weird stuff; they're our best bets to save Spyro."

"I notice that you never mention Cynder." Hunter commented.

"Well after having something trying to kill you on a few occasions you wouldn't want to mention it either." Sparx replied, a light chuckle coming from Hunter in return.

"Very well, I will take you to the dragon city, but should Spyro and Cynder get out of our reach you will bear the responsibility." Hunter decided as he changed direction away from the grooves in the dirt left behind by the cage and towards the west instead.

"That's fine with me," Sparx replied.

**Sorry for the shortness, but this will be a short story so I don't want to fit it all into just a couple of chapters. Well because of the new plot element concerning Cynder's condition I was wondering if I should raise the rating from a T to an M now or later when I finally do include more M related scenes, which will definately occur, I thought it time I try my hand at something like that. Let me know in a review and I'll make a decision accordingly. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Uncomfortable situations

**Well the story is M rated now, guess I don't need to give any warnings anymore, you know what might be expected. Enjoy and be kind.**

Spyro sighed contently. He was half awake, the rocking of the cage lulling him into a lazy doze despite the gravity of the situation he was in. But that wasn't all that was keeping him from fully awakening. He was very comfortable, something warm pressed against his side and something else stroking the side of his face continuously.

In his comfort induced stupor he day dreamed, lying at the temple lazily, Cynder and Sparx, as well as the guardians, all safe and sound without any problems whatsoever. He was still fully aware that reality was nothing like that, however, but that didn't stop him from wishing it was._ You must escape, young dragon,_ a voice suddenly called out to him whilst he dreamt.

"I know that, Chronicler," Spyro replied, "but saying it is a lot easier than doing it."

_If you do not escape soon, Cynder will be lost and you will fall, I have seen it._ The Chronicler continued. _Your fate is clouded but Cynder's has two clear paths. Your intervention on the night of eternal darkness tore the pages out of her book and rewrote them anew. If you escape with her the Dark Master will fall and you and her will be heralded as the saviours of the realms._

"And if I fail?"

_If you fail, she will join Malefor, and the realms will crumble under her rule. If that path is chosen for her your path is hidden, I do not know if you will die or if you will live to serve as one of Malefor's thousands of slaves._

"I won't let her out of my sight, Chronicler, I care about her too much to allow her to return to her former self."

_That is good, Spyro, your love for your friends will give you strength. Good luck, young dragon, do not fail._ Spyro was then left alone, where he was allowed to bask in his comfort again, becoming aware that the warmth he was feeling had risen and now his head felt slightly wet.

His curiosity finally managed to snap Spyro into a wakeful state and he realised Cynder was lying next to him, her wings wrapped tightly around him. She was also licking his face tenderly. He struggled away from her, finding difficulty with the grip she had him in. "Cynder what are you doing?!" He asked as he managed to wriggle his way free, resulting in her following him and trying to rub against him.

"You were talking in your sleep, I heard you, you said you care about me." She licked his cheek, "I care about you too." Spyro moved away from her again but as before she followed him; refusing to leave him alone.

"Cynder, I know you can't help yourself but you're making me feel uncomfortable," He said to her as she rubbed the top of her head underneath his chin.

"But I've discovered that showing how much I care about you relieves me of my urges, at least for a while. Plus, I like it." She leaned into him and sighed with, what Spyro would call, relief. "Do you like me, Spyro?" She suddenly asked, catching him off guard.

"What are you talking about, of course I like you, Cynder, you're my best friend." He replied, hoping that his answer satisfied her, knowing where the conversation would go if it didn't. And it didn't.

"You know what I meant Spyro," She said to him, nuzzling his snout with her own. "Do you love me?" It was at this point the became very uncomfortable. He backed away from her, only to have her wrap her tail around his leg and pull him back to her where he bumped into her side and caused her to giggle. She had never acted like this before, and he didn't think she would be doing and asking these things if she wasn't in the middle of what the Sorcerer had called heat.

She stared into his eyes, her tail tip stroking his flank idly as she waited for his answer. "C-Cynder, I-"

The cage jerked, stopping Spyro from finishing his sentence. He swayed as he tried to regain his balance but when he did the cage jerked again, tilting on it's wheels until it toppled sideways, throwing Cynder and Spyro against the bars of the cage as it hit the floor with a loud bang. Slightly dazed, Spyro could hear the screeches of the dreadwings as The Sorcerer cursed at them and scolded them. He then became aware of the giggling Cynder as she rubbed her head against him. She had landed on top of him, their tails somehow had intertwined but he suspected that Cynder had had something to do with that.

The next thing he noticed though came as a miracle to him; the force of the cage toppling had knocked its door off its hinges, leaving the exit open. "Cynder, come on," He said as he tried to get up, but Cynder placed her forepaws on his chest and pushed him back down. "Cynder, stop, we need to mmfh muhf," He tried to say as she pressed her snout to his mouth and flicked her tongue out at his nose, muffling his words in the process.

She wouldn't let go no matter what he tried so he wormed his hind legs so that they were beneath her and kicked her off him. She landed lightly on the hay that had piled up in the corner of the cage when it toppled, she then looked at him with a playful glint in her eyes until she noticed how serious his face was. "I'm sorry, Spyro, I guess I lost control for a minute there," she said with an embarrassed look.

"For a minute?" Spyro replied, slightly annoyed, "I woke up with you licking my face, who knows how long you'd been doing it." She looked away from him when he said that, he could easily see that she was embarrassed, the light, red tint on her face as the blood ran through her scales acting as clear evidence. Spyro sighed, "I'm sorry, Cynder, I know you can't help it but we need to go now."

Cynder looked up at where Spyro was now pointing and saw the opening. Without either of them saying anything they both unfurled their wings and leapt at the gap. As soon as they both passed through it the door slammed shut, and then as the two dragons made good their escape they heard the Sorcerer yell out angrily. "Will he chase us?" Cynder asked, the green tether between them flashing into view as she held back slightly to fly behind the purple dragon.

"Probably, but not by air, he wouldn't leave the ground unless Malefor forced him too." Spyro replied. They had been travelling in the cage for sometime and a dense forest had crept into view on the horizon. That was where Spyro was headed, hoping to find a shelter in the vast foliage until he could think of a what to do next, and hopefully cure Cynder of her 'heat' illness. "What are you doing?" He then asked when he felt the tether tug on his neck.

"Sorry, guess I got distracted by the view," Cynder answered back, speeding up slightly so that the tether disappeared but she still remained behind Spyro, where she could admire his powerful wing muscles as they rippled beneath his scales. She watched as he looked back at her and caught her looking, but she only flashed her teeth at him in a smile.

Spyro sighed as he turned his head back to the forest, it was closer now, only a ten minute flight away. If they could just reach it they would be in a much better position to avoid recapture, not too mention try to find a way to remove the tether connecting him to the insane dragoness before she did anything else that would make him feel uncomfortable.

--

The forest was dark; the thick canopy over the two dragons' heads blocked out all the sunlight that was cast down during the day and at night it immersed them in inky blackness. It was this inky blackness that frustrated Spyro the most, simply for one reason; Cynder 'claimed' to be afraid of the dark. He knew full well that she wasn't, otherwise she wouldn't have ran away from the temple the night it was attacked. But despite that he still fell for the trick she had pulled on him.

"Spyro, I'm sorry about before, really I am." Cynder said to him as she lay on the ferns she had gathered into a makeshift bed. He lay on his own bed of ferns, the green, glowing tether being used as a marker so that Spyro would know if she moved. "I just had a feeling something would happen, I was curious."

"Yeah, well don't do it again," Spyro replied, embarrassed and confused. "I didn't know that my body could do that, it's never done it before." Cynder giggled, making Spyro even more embarrassed.

"And all it took was for me to stroke you in the right place," She looked at him, her eyes glinting quickly, "I'll have to do it again sometime, you become much more…persuadable when you're like that." Spyro groaned quietly to himself. He didn't understand what happened completely. She had asked him to stay close to her because of the dark. Naturally he didn't think much about it and began to walk by her side, even going as far as to put a wing around her. That was where it all went pear shaped.

She had curled her tail beneath Spyro's and gently stroked the tip of it between his legs. He had instantly froze to the spot, the strange scent in the air and the gentle rubbing of Cynder's tail paralysing him. Cynder of course, was enjoying what she was doing, finding Spyro's response very amusing, especially after he was so reluctant to stay this close to her before.

She then began to nibble on his neck, giggling as she felt the place she was rubbing stir and something emerge. It wasn't until Cynder grew a little too excited and lost her control, accidentally nicking Spyro's emerged length with her bladed tail, that Spyro snapped out of his paralysis with an impressive yelp.

"No," Spyro replied as he brought his mind away from that painful memory with a shudder. "I'm definitely not letting you do that again. That was the first time that happened and you cut it."

"I said I was sorry, I'll be more careful next time, I've learnt I need to be gentle with it," She then laughed quietly as she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Spyro asked as she stepped away from her bed, "Cynder?" She then began to move towards him, her eyes fixed firmly on his and a slight smile on her draconic lips. "Hey, stop, stay away from me," he continued to say to the black dragoness as she continued to advance on him and he got up and backed away.

"We're alone in the forest, Spyro. The Sorcerer wont find us and even if he does it'll take some time. So just let me indulge in my…what was it he called it?…ah yes, let me just indulge in my heat, come here." She then began to run towards him, startling the purple dragon.

"Not a chance, stay away from me!" He exclaimed as he leapt into the air and began to fly away, the dragoness in hot pursuit, refusing to allow him to escape. They flew at high speeds, both knowing that one couldn't get far without the other but Spyro knew if he stopped she would catch him so he had very little choice in the matter. Cynder on the other hand did not mind chasing him, she knew that he would tire eventually and that only meant that he wouldn't be able to put up a great resistance to her advances. She couldn't stop anyway, as long as Spyro was moving away she would have to follow, otherwise the tether would choke her and cause Spyro to crash.

It was difficult to see the trees and branches, Spyro often had to smash his way through them, not having the energy to use his flames, not to mention the sudden light might alert the sorcerer to their presence. That made it easier for Cynder to follow him, the glow of the tether lighting up the holes in the branches that Spyro made so she could easily slip through.

They flew continuously at reckless speeds for several minutes until Spyro began to grow tired and looked back, "Cynder, stop, this is getting dangerous." He pleaded with the dragoness.

"I can't stop," she answered, the exercise of flying making her body exit its heat temporarily, "You'll drag me through the air if I stop…LOOK OUT!" Spyro snapped his neck forwards again to see a large redwood tree, and he was about to fly smack into it. He flapped his wings forwards to slow himself down, causing Cynder to fly level with him, and then flapped his wings again, propelling him to the right of the tree to fly around it.

The lack of communication between the two, however, meant that Cynder went around the tree to the left. When the sufficient distance between the two dragons was reached the tether snapped into existence just in time to get caught on the tree. The effect of having the rope between them and the speed they were travelling at caused them to spin wildly out of control around the tree, passing each other repeatedly until the tether was coiled tightly around the tree. Inevitably their flight came to an end as the tether reached it's limit and the two dragons collided.

The impact was strong enough to render the both of them unconscious before they could utter a cry and they fell towards the tree, hitting it and hanging limply from the coils around their necks, the tether slowly choking them. The tether, however, had become loose as they hit the tree and it slid down the bark, the lack of branches not slowing their descent until they hit the ground hard and lay in a heap on top of each other.

--

"Wake up, you wretch," Spyro heard as a bucket of water was thrown on his head and he was kicked harshly in the side. He groaned in agony as the pain lanced through him on top of his already pain-riddled body. He coughed dryly as he squinted up at the form of the sorcerer. He could see that they weren't in the forest anymore.

"It took me all night to find the two of you with only this bumbling pair of dreadwings." He said as he pointed at the two creatures that had been latched up to the cage on wheels again. "Luckily, in her current state, Cynder gives off a scent that anything can track." Spyro then noticed Cynder not far from him, her wounds looked far less painful than his felt. "Unlike you she needs to be in a somewhat good condition when she's presented to Malefor, I see no point in tending to your wounds." The Sorcerer explained.

He then kicked Spyro in the side again, "Get up, you're going back to your cage…but first." He made Spyro get to his feet and marched him away from Cynder until the tether came into being. He then placed his finger against it and muttered something under his breath. The length of the magical rope then shortened, dragging Cynder and Spyro two feet closer together; they could now only move five feet apart. "With her in heat I would have thought you would know better than to try and escape, you knew that once you were caught you would have had this happen, it'll be much more difficult for you to avoid her advances now."

With that he ordered Spyro back into the cage. The purple dragon complied and limped through the entrance into the now upright cage, closely followed by Cynder. "A depression in the ground topples the cage, you escape and end up injuring yourself…how Gaul ever had trouble with you is beyond me." With that the Sorcerer closed the cage and a couple of minutes later it was once again on its journey towards Malefor.

Spyro winced as he lay down on the hard wood of the cage floor. "Well that was failure," he said as he looked at Cynder. She was obviously upset.

"Are you alright Spyro, come on, lie on the hay, the wood won't do your pains any good." She approached him and tried to nudge him but when he groaned she stopped.

"There isn't enough space between us now to each lie on a bed," He said as he pointed to the other pile of hay on the other side of the cage, which, with his current beaten body, he couldn't get up to move it closer to the other pile. "You take the hay, the wood isn't that uncomfortable."

Cynder snorted, "Don't be foolish, we'll share the bed." Spyro was about to complain at that but Cynder interrupted. "Even if I did take the bed, Spyro, at some point during your sleep I will move to lie with you anyway, if you get on the hay that just means when I move I wont have to lie on this splintered wood. You really aren't doing yourself any favours so just move."

Spyro looked up at the black dragoness, saw the slight twinkle in her eyes; she was right, like it or not he would at some point end up sleeping with her. "Fine, but try to keep your behaviour under control, that cut you gave me still stings worse than any of the ones I got from that blasted forest." He then got up and shuffled over to the pile of hay where he promptly collapsed.

A second later, Cynder positioned herself next to him, the heat from her body, which Spyro noticed was warmer than usual, soothing his aching body. She then began to lick his face again, cleaning the scratches he had obtained by crashing through the tree branches during his flight from her. Too tired and sore to resist her Spyro just sighed and slipped into unconscious.

**I'm not particularly happy with how this chapter turned out, I tried to keep things on a relatively decent level but the bit in the middle where Cynder aroused Spyro sort of broke my confidence slightly. I've never wrote stuff like this so tips are appreciated if anyone has more experience with writing M stuff than I. Well, I hope you enjoyed it and please review, it will be most appreciated.**


	6. Theory and practical

**Bad-Larry, stop reviewing to tell me to update over and over again. If you want to send me messages sign up to the site and private message me, at least then I can reply. **

**Now, late update, I know, but I took a break after writing the Valentine's day story and then coursework took priority over my stories. Apologies aside, this chapter has my first real lemon type stuff in it so I hope you enjoy it, even if I did feel a little awkward writing it.**

Cynder stirred, but she didn't want to wake. She was far too comfortable to give up her dreams for the depressing reality that conflicted with her desires. The dream she was having at the moment was particularly invigorating. She bucked in her sleep slightly as she dreamt of the things Spyro was doing to her, or the things she hoped he'd do to her.

She had realised that before they were free of the crystal she had never thought anything like what she was thinking now; she had no idea how she knew these things, how mating worked and how to entice Spyro into pleasuring her. She didn't know where the knowledge came from but she certainly wasn't complaining as she bucked in her sleep once again.

A nudge suddenly interrupted her dream, much to her displeasure. She tried to ignore it as the Spyro in her dreams began to nibble on one of the horns on the side of her face but the nudge interrupted again and the image of Spyro in her mind suddenly disappeared as she woke up. "What do you want?" She asked sleepily and with a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"You were fidgeting in your sleep," Spyro replied as he tried to move his legs but found it impossible with the vice-like grip Cynder had him in; her wings wrapped tightly around his body and an arm holding one of his close to her chest. "If you're going to insist on sleeping this close to me then the least you could do is keep still."

"Well it's not my fault, you were doing some pretty stimulating things to me in my dreams," She replied, making Spyro become quiet and fidget to try and move into a position that touched her as little as possible. Cynder laughed lightly and tightened her grip, keeping him trapped next to her. "Don't be so surprised, you know how I feel about you and if you won't do anything to me whilst awake then what did you think I would dream about?"

"W-well I didn't think you'd dream about me doing anything to you, that's for sure." He replied, noticing that she wasn't trying to rub him or entice him into doing anything like she had been doing before she fell asleep. She still felt as hot as ever, maybe even more so, but he didn't get the sense of need that had been emanating from her. "Are you feeling, alright?" He asked, hoping that she'd begun to recover from her heat.

"I don't know," She replied, rubbing the top of her head beneath Spyro's chin, being careful not to catch him with her horns. "But I don't have a desperate desire to have you touch me at the moment." Spyro sighed with relief at that comment and Cynder smirked. "That doesn't mean I don't want you to, Spyro," She said, making him tense up again. "Yes, I don't have a desperate desire for you, but I still desire you all the same. It's just…I feel like I have a little more self control, I can think about things other than you, like asking The Sorcerer what exactly is going on with me for example."

"Do you really think he'd give you a straight answer?" Spyro asked, thinking that the Sorcerer would sooner tell her it meant she was turning into her former, darker, and far more powerful self rather than the truth.

"Well it's worth a try, isn't it?" She replied with her own question as she reluctantly pulled herself from Spyro. He shivered as his body was suddenly exposed to the cool air and Cynder laughed again. "I'll be curling up with you again soon enough, you know I can't resist you." That comment made him blush slightly as he tried to move himself into a position that would conserve his heat but his wounds, although now three days old, forced him to stay as he was.

She sighed at him, wishing she hadn't chased him through the forest and caused him to gain those injuries. She then began to make her way to the bars but the magical tether stopped her short. She heard a struggling noise behind her and she turned to see Spyro trying to move closer to the bars to allow her to reach them. "Don't you dare, Spyro," She scolded him. He tried to protest but she growled at him, making him be still.

She snorted when she was satisfied he wouldn't move and further injure himself and then turned back to the bars. "Sorcerer!" She called out, watching to see if the carriage began to slow down. It still moved at its regular pace, however, so she called out again. This time the sound of the two dreadwings screeching in protest answered and the cage began to slow down until finally it came to a stop. Shortly after that the Sorcerer came into view.

"Cynder, what is it?" He asked with the blank, dark shroud covering his face; Cynder wasn't even sure what species he was. "We are almost at our destination so you might want to make this quick; our master doesn't like to wait."

Cynder growled, "I told you, he isn't my master." The Sorcerer simply shrugged as he twiddled the golden horn tied around his neck between his thumb and finger of his gloved hand. She eyed it carefully, wishing she could take it, run it through his throat and then return it to its owner. "I want to know what's happening to me, why I feel so attracted to Spyro and why I'm suddenly able to think straight."

Spyro was listening and when the Sorcerer began to laugh he felt anger; he couldn't see any reason for him to laugh at Cynder's words so thought he was laughing at her. Cynder, on the other hand, waited patiently, knowing that his laughter was just another one of his methods to make her feel insignificant by implying she knew nothing. When her face showed no reaction to his laughter the Sorcerer quietened his laughter to a slight chuckle and then stopped entirely.

"My, my, your education has been limited in that temple of yours." He began to say. "I guess the guardians didn't want you two to get any ideas during your younger days. Yes, it wouldn't do to have little dragon hatchlings running around whilst a war is fought."

"What are you talking about, what do dragon hatchlings have anything to do with it?" Cynder asked, unsure of what the Sorcerer was getting at,

"It has more to do with it than you'd think," he replied. "You see, you and Spyro were in that crystal for three years. Before you were encased in it your bodies were young, younger than adolescents." Cynder listened carefully, as did Spyro who had managed to move himself so he could see the two conversing. "However, as I'm sure you are both aware, your bodies continued to age inside that crystal. As such, your bodily functions continued which includes your reproductive systems."

Spyro wished he hadn't tried so hard to be able to see the conversation; he really didn't enjoy meeting Cynder's gaze when she looked at him after the Sorcerer had mentioned reproductive systems. "You mean me and Spyro are ready to reproduce?" She asked, her voice attaining the needy tone that had been present in it since she had begun to desire Spyro.

"Precisely." The Sorcerer stated, enjoying the sight of Spyro trying to squirm his way back to the direction he had been facing. "You two can conceive a child, and what you've been going through, Cynder, is your mating season. When I said you were going through heat I was only using a very simple term, you can't go through heat."

"Well I don't exactly know what heat is to begin with so just explain to me what my mating season does, is it why I've been acting so strangely lately?" She pressed on, wanting the conversation to give her what she wanted to know in the shortest time possible; she didn't exactly enjoy discussing these matters with their captor.

The Sorcerer paused, as if trying to remember the details. A few seconds passed before he finally began to speak again. "As a wielder of magic I've had to learn quite a few things about nature during my lifetime. Before our Master found me and took me under his wing, so to speak, I had spent many of my days in the great dragon city, Warfang. Whilst there I was able to study the dragon mating season at length.

"You see, unlike most species, dragons don't enter a mating season as a collective. There isn't a species specific time or a place. No, instead, a dragoness enters her season depending on age. It appears that this is your first season which puts you at about fifteen years of age." Cynder had to think about that. She never bothered to remember her age, it had never occurred to her to do so. But it sounded right. Spyro was thinking the same thing; his adoptive parents had a strange sense of time but fifteen years sounded agreeable to him.

"So now you know what's going on. As for you being able to think clearly now? Well that's one of the more intriguing parts of your mating season," The Sorcerer continued. "Your body goes through such a change to put you in the state you've been in that should you have actually gotten Spyro to mate you that would be all you'd be able to think about, meaning you wouldn't want to do anything else."

_Thank the Ancestors she didn't manage to get her way then,_ thought Spyro as he listened.

"You wouldn't eat. So naturally your body needs to take a break to ensure you don't starve yourself. What you're going through at this moment is that break. You're still in your season, which is why you still desire Spyro as much as you do but you're mind is no longer fogged." The Sorcerer finally finished, leaving Cynder with much to think about.

"So when you say break…" Cynder began.

"You'll be back in your frenzy within the day," The Sorcerer finished. "Now, if there's nothing else you wish to discuss I would like to continue our journey."

"One more thing," Cynder said, making the Sorcerer twitch with impatience. "Can I only conceive hatchlings during my mating season?" She asked.

"No," he replied. "Your season only makes it more likely that you'll create eggs once you mate. You are still capable of falling gravid if you mate outside of your season, the chances are just smaller." With that the Sorcerer dismissed himself and made his way back to the front of the cage and the dreadwings pulling it.

"So I'll be back to my unrelenting advances by tomorrow," Cynder said as she turned to look at Spyro and the cage jerked as it began to move again. She smirked at his embarrassed expression and the way he tried to avoid her gaze and she began to move towards him. "Are you embarrassed about something, Spyro?" She asked when she was standing above him.

"M-me? Embarrassed? No." He replied as he tried to shuffle away from her. She didn't allow him to, however, and she lay down next to him, pulling him tightly against her side with her wings and making him feel even more uncomfortable. "Do you have to do that?" He asked as he struggled in her grip.

"According to the Sorcerer, yes, I do," She replied, licking his scaled cheek to get her point across and sate her desire at the same time. "You know that I can't make you do anything whilst I can think straight so what are you worried about at the moment?" She asked.

"I'm not worried," he began as he finally stopped struggling, accepting the fact he didn't have the strength to resist her. "It's just that I don't want to be forced into something that might not be the right thing to do. I'd bet that other dragons weren't locked into cages with each other whilst one went through a mating season."

Cynder stopped licking his face and he turned to face her. She had a look in her eyes, a look that he hadn't seen since they first woke up in the crystal. "Spyro," She said quietly, her voice emanating seriousness. "I think I've made it clear just how much I care about you. I don't know how you feel about me but I feel that anything we do wouldn't be wrong. I can't explain it…but I know that I wouldn't be feeling this way about any other dragon."

"But how can you be certain?" Spyro asked, knowing that what Cynder was saying was coming from her and not her mating season.

"Ever since I met you I knew there was something about you. I slowly began to care about you. Leaving the temple wasn't an easy task, especially after you told me you didn't want me to leave. Spyro, I love you, and that is how I can be certain." She looked away from him when she'd finished, still holding him tightly but not resting her head against him as she had done before.

Spyro didn't say anything; he didn't know what to say. He was all too aware of the situation he was in. A dragoness going through her mating season had him in what could only be described as a death grip and she had just told him she loved him. He cared about Cynder, but he just wasn't sure whether he cared about her enough to consider raising a child with her.

Than again, he did risk his life to save her on a number of occasions, and she was right, he did ask her not to leave the temple and he remembered feeling very upset when she did so anyway. And although he'd never met any other dragons his age he knew that the relationship he had with Cynder was special, he wouldn't do anything to risk harming her be it physically or emotionally. He then looked at her; she was beautiful too.

Cynder was worrying about whether she should have said what she did to Spyro when she felt a gentle caress on the back of her head which quickly turned into a firm thump as Spyro lost his strength for a moment and had to rest his head. "I think," he began to say as he lifted his head again and Cynder turned to look at him. "That I love you too." He finished.

She smiled widely at that and licked his cheek enthusiastically. Spyro hesitated for a moment and then licked her back, making her purr slightly, something which he'd never heard her do before. "That's good enough for me," she said. Her licking became more vigorous and Spyro's face began to develop a fine coating of saliva.

"I said 'I think', remember?" He said to her as she suddenly tried to role him over, much to his surprise. She then began to lick down his jaw and neck until she reached his chest. "Cynder?" He asked as he started to feel uncomfortable again.

"And I said that's good enough for me. I won't make you mate me if you don't want to, but at least let me experience some things that are running through my head," she said as her licks began to go lower and Spyro knew exactly where she was going to. Yet despite the protests running through his head, none of them made it to his mouth; he was far too curious to know what exactly it was she was going to do.

She stopped just short of a slight bump beneath Spyro's scales at the base of his tail. She studied it carefully, knowing what it was but still finding it strange. Spyro began to tremble as he suddenly felt her tongue begin to caress the bump and scratch the area around it gently with her claws. His embarrassment increased tenfold when Cynder's attentions caused his scales to part and allowed the object creating the bump into the open.

He winced slightly as Cynder brushed over the small cut she had given to him in his most vulnerable of places but he relaxed when she showed she could be incredibly gentle, using her tongue to sooth the slight burn caused by exposing the cut to the air.

"Cy-Cynder," he tried to choke out, finding that as her tongue moved up and down his mind became fogged and what he wanted to say was lost to him. She silenced him with a flick of her tail, sending a wave of scent towards him that made him lie motionless and allowed Cynder to continue her explorations without interruptions.

She listened as her massage began to make Spyro purr, a sound he'd never made before yet sounded like the right response she should be receiving. Unbeknownst to her, his tail began to curl around whilst her eyes were focused on the member in front of her and it began to stroke her flank, making her jump in surprise. When she realised what it was she settled down again, returning his affections with increased vigour and making his member twitch.

Spyro's purring became deeper as he suddenly began to feel something build inside him. He didn't know exactly what it was but he did know that the voice in his head that had been telling him to stop her and that had been casting doubt on the whole situation had suddenly vanished; he definitely didn't want her to stop now.

For the first time Cynder could sense a need coming from Spyro, the way his hips began to move despite his injuries and the way the caresses of his tail began to roam closer to the burning hot need at her own tail base was clear indication of it. She began to use her paws to knead the muscles around the object of her attentions and heard Spyro groan and felt his member twitch again.

The sound of several roars on the horizon suddenly distracted Cynder and she looked up, forgetting Spyro for a moment, much to his displeasure. He lifted his head up from the cage floor and looked in the direction Cynder was staring at and could see four dragons in the sky approaching them. "Looks like my exploration of you will have to wait a while," Cynder said with a seductive tone and one last lick to his dragonhood.

Spyro groaned as he dropped his head back to the floor. _Why couldn't they have just waited five minutes longer…?_ He thought with frustration as he began to feel his arousal disappear.

**Well constuctive criticism is welcome, personally I believe I need it so review and let me know how you think I handled it. I'm easing myself in before I have to write a full blown lemon so any tips someone can offer me will be greatly appreciated. I'll update when I can and I thank you all for your patience, I only wish I could update this story more often. **


	7. A second chance of escape

**You know, I've never had a problem with anonymous reviewers before, in fact I have quite a few consistant reviewers that leave helpful comments and over all don't make pains of themselves. But ever since I bumped this story up to an 'M' I've been plagued by one individual who constantly reviews telling me to update, and I suspect it's only because of the lemons. As I've said before, I have things going on in my life and I can't afford to update every single week. I certainly try to but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. It's clearly stated on my profile page that I'll never leave a story unfinished so telling me to update, in reviews no less, which also really annoys me, isn't going to make me update faster nor is it appreciated in any way. Simply put, stop leaving reviews asking to update, Bad-Larry. Each time you do I have to remove it and then continue with what I was doing. There was also a review from someone who asked if this story was ever going to be continued...it hasn't been that long since it was last updated so please show some patience. Anyway, my rant is over for the moment so just enjoy the chapter.**

"I hope they can rescue them in time," Sparx mumbled as he sat on Hunter's shoulder on one of the great terraces of Warfang. They stared out to the east horizon, the direction that the guardians had taken when they left to rescue Spyro and Cynder from the Sorcerer's grasp. They had mobilised immediately when Sparx told them where Spyro was, knowing that he was the only hope for stopping Malefor and that all efforts must be made to rescue him.

"I'm sure that they will be back as soon as possible, Spyro and Cynder in tow." Hunter reassured, not that Sparx was really listening; he was having an incredibly rare moment of reflection, a moment that Spyro would have definitely commented on should he have been there witnessing it.

The sun was growing lower on the horizon, the tall walls and buildings hiding the smaller ones from the light and casting the city into shadows. Arriving with the sun to their backs were the continuous trickle of refugees from small towns and villages that had been raided by Malefor's minions. They were all different species, none were dragons however; they had arrived at the city months ago, the dragon towns, villages and colonies having been the first to be targeted by Malefor.

"So much pain and suffering," Hunter mused, "All caused by one dragon of unimaginable power. It's difficult to imagine a world where that could be allowed to exist without a way to put an end to it."

"But there is a way," Sparx chipped in, catching a fly that had began buzzing around Hunter's left ear and eating it. "Spyro's s'posed to stop 'im." He finished with his mouthful.

"Yes, that is what is hoped by many. But unfortunately in his absence many have lost hope. They believe that Malefor is the only reality. Their wills have been broken and they are unable to believe in a dragon that can stop Malefor." Hunter sighed and turned away from the horizon and made his way to a stairway leading down to a grassed courtyard.

"In my travels through this land, searching for Spyro and Cynder, I passed through many a city or town that truly believed that Malefor would show them mercy should they give Spyro to him. If Spyro had the misfortune to stumble into one of those cities he would be strung up by his legs, his horns removed and his head muzzled; a mounted trophy fit for Malefor's twisted lair."

Sparx was disgusted at that, he couldn't picture his brother being betrayed in such a way, especially as he was fighting for the ones that would betray him. "Well I wouldn't let that happen if I were there," he replied, punching the air with his tiny fists, "I'd be all like, 'POW, take that!' and then I'd get Spyro out of there quicker than you can say 'That dragonfly just hit me'."

The sound of laughter filled the deserted street as Hunter moved through it. Sparx, however, wasn't amused. "I'm sure Spyro would be in your debt after that, Sparx." The cheetah said after his laughter subsided. "But in all seriousness I hope the day does come where Spyro will overthrow Malefor's reign as the mighty purple dragon and bring the realms into a new age, succeeding where Malefor failed in his studies."

"Well he isn't the smartest of creatures, you know?" Sparx chipped in, not liking the fact that the podgy dragon was receiving all the praise, "He once fell into a mud pit because he thought that the leaves on top of it would support him after he saw me sitting on them. It took him a week to get all the dirt out of his scales, meaning he was waltzing around stinking of mud pits. When you do stuff like that what makes you think he'll do well with his abilities?"

"I have faith that his friends will help him along the way." Hunter replied. "He has always had those that would help him, and he has found people he would help no matter what. He's a unique dragon in the sense that I believe he'd give his life to save any of his friends, including you Sparx, and especially Cynder."

Sparx scoffed at Cynder's name. "I think it'd be more likely he'd chose to save his brother over Cynder." Hunter didn't reply and the silence began to play on Sparx's mind. A few minutes passed and Hunter arrived by the City gates, looking to make himself useful to any of the new arrivals that needed assistance. "He would choose me right?" Sparx asked, feeling selfish but at the same time insecure.

Hunter turned to look at his shoulder, his gaze meeting the dragonfly's. "You'd be surprised at the bond formed between two individuals who have fought together. I wouldn't be at all surprised if any of the two would do anything for the other, no matter the cost." Hunter then began to help an elderly looking Atlawa who was struggling with a sack of his meagre possessions.

--

The guardians doubted the wisdom of announcing their presence with their cries; certainly Spyro's and Cynder's captor was now preparing defences to protect his precious cargo. Hunter had informed Ignitus of The Sorcerer's probable intentions to take the young pair to his master and the fire guardian agreed, especially now that they were only one days ride by carriage from Malefor's lair.

They could see the cage in the distance, the two dreadwings pulling it lashing from side to side, wanting to enter the air and issue challenges to the dragons. "Can you see them, Volteer?" Ignitus called to the electric guardian.

"They're in the cage," He replied as he squinted into the distance; he had always had the best vision out of the four. "From this distance it'd hard to say but it looks like one of them is injured and is being tended to by the other."

"What makes you say that?" Cyril asked as he flew by Volteer's side.

"One of them is standing over the other and looks to be cleaning a wound, at least that's what it looks like."

"If they're injured we must hurry." Ignitus stated firmly.

"Yes," Terrador rumbled. "Volteer, Cyril, you distract the Sorcerer, Ignitus and I will break Spyro and Cynder out of their cage." All the dragons agreed and they accelerated, beating their wings all the more harder and propelling their bodies through the air.

As they grew closer they could see a small figure unlatching the dreadwings from their bindings and they screeched as they took to the air, shrieking their approach to the guardians. The four dragons split up, each one taking a different direction and providing more targets for the hideous creatures to pursue. One took Cyril's path whilst the other chose Ignitus.

Terrador and Volteer continued to their original objective but Cyril and Ignitus stayed behind to take out the dreadwings. The ice guardian slipped into a series of loops and complex aerial manoeuvres that confused his simple minded attacker. It tried to follow but its bulky body couldn't follow on the tight turns and soon Cyril had managed to come over the creature as it dived down to the bottom of a loop. With the advantage of height, Cyril dived after it and expelled a glacial stream of air, freezing the dreadwing's wings in mid-beat.

It kicked it's legs as it began to fall to the floor and Cyril followed it. The impact kicked dust into the air and the creature lay motionless on the ground. Cyril took no chances, however, and froze its legs in place, ensuring that even if it survived it wouldn't be able to re-enter the fray. The guardian snorted with satisfaction and set off behind Terrador and Volteer.

Ignitus had taken care of his dreadwing differently to Cyril, preferring instead to attack it head on with all the fury the fire dragon had flowing through his veins. Blows were exchanged and injuries were sustained by both but the mindless monster was worse off. It began to retreat but Ignitus followed it and let loose a torrent of flames that engulfed the dreadwing. A series of screeches entered the air as the flames burned at its flesh and seared the bone until the body had sustained too much damage and it burst into a collection of gems.

Ignitus darted into their path and absorbed them, recovering a portion of his strength, and then joined Cyril, flying by his side as they hurried to their comrades aid. They could see Volteer barraging the Sorcerer with bolt after bolt of electricity but each attack merely bounced off the air in front of him, as if some form of shield was deflecting the attacks.

But the Sorcerer was definitely distracted; Terrador was already trying to smash the cage.

--

"Stand back," The earth guardian instructed to the young dragons. Both Spyro and Cynder did as was told and retreated to the pile of hay in the far corner. Seconds later Terrador began to smash the cage with his earth element, crashing clumps of rock from the ground beneath his feet relentlessly against the door.

"Just think," Cynder whispered into Spyro's ear, "we'll be out of here in no time and then we can find a room all to ourselves…a private room." Spyro's face went hot at her words and the way she whispered, the air leaving her snout and brushing against his face, causing something to stir inside him.

"Stop it, Cynder," He whispered back to her, "not now, please." She laughed softly and wetly licked his cheek, unseen by Terrador. Spyro shuddered, his body was responding to Cynder exactly like she wanted it too, even if his mind was only half-heartedly following along. He couldn't wait to be able to move freely, unchained to Cynder who would no doubt follow him anyway, at least until she returned to normal.

A loud crash and the clang of metal hitting unearthed stone alerted the young dragons that Terrador had succeeded in his attempts and the cage was now open. "Hurry, run!" He roared as he took to the air to help the other guardians with the Sorcerer.

"Well let's get a move on then," Cynder said as she made for the exit, the magical tether shining to life as it tugged on Spyro's neck. He quickly began to follow her and they both leapt to the dusty floor and began running. They didn't know where to go and hoped that one of the guardians would tell them but each one of them was far too busy; the Sorcerer was a more dangerous foe than any of them had thought and required every ounce of concentration on him to avoid being slaughtered.

With no one making any decisions Cynder had a thought and looked around the area. It was as dusty as ever, the parched ground providing little for any green plants to grow. Cynder wondered for a moment if the area had always been like it was or whether Malefor had somehow caused it but she shook it off, instead looking for a place to hide.

Then she saw it, a rocky formation almost two hundred feet away. If they could make it to there then they could wait for the Guardians to find them and hopefully, Cynder thought with a smirk, her commonsense having left her, have some privacy. "Come on, Spyro." She demanded as she began pulling him to her chosen hiding location.

He protested for a moment, wanting to help the guardians but he soon realised that in his current state he wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight and his energy was completely depleted, none of his elements would be able to help him. So he followed Cynder instead, seeing the rocks she was heading to and assumed that they were going to find a hollow to hide in and watch and wait.

The rocks were assembled in such a way that there were many places to hide in and Cynder dragged Spyro into the largest and most hidden one before he could protest. Cynder thought it was quite cosy, it wasn't damp nor cold and therefore perfect. She looked at Spyro who was peering out to watch the fight. He then yelped as he was roughly pulled away from the edge and pinned to his back, Cynder standing over him and staring into his eyes.

"What are you doing, Cynder?" Spyro asked, almost angrily. "There's no time for this." Cynder simply ignored him and repeatedly flicked her tongue across his snout. He tried to resist, intent on keeping his attention on the more important matter of escape. "I thought you were supposed to be in the middle of a break from your season." He quietly said, not noticing that his own tongue had begun to flick back at Cynder's, which made her smirk.

"I am in the middle of the break," she replied, running her tongue against his between speech. "But I'm also fully aware of the fact that you can't fight in your condition and with me tethered to you I can't do much either." She began to move her body down Spyro's making him crane his neck to be able to reach her snout with his tongue. "And because we can't do anything but hide here I thought we could continue where we left off."

At the back of Spyro's mind the ever present danger of being re-captured by the Sorcerer made him try to push her away, to make her see sense if only for a moment. But as she slipped down lower and continued with her exploration that had been interrupted by the guardians' arrival his mind went blank and he simply lay there and watched. "That's better, Spyro," She whispered as she watched his length emerge from between his scales once again, "Just relax."

--

"You're wasting your time, beasts," The Sorcerer yelled as a plume of fire glanced off the defences he'd summoned, transforming the raging inferno into a shadowy mist that harmlessly billowed around him. "My master shall recover his greatest servant and with her destroy your purple saviour and the rest of your race along side him."

"Your magic shan't keep you safe forever, Sorcerer," Terrador growled as he dropped to the ground and charged his target. "If we can't hurt you with our elements then we'll tear you limb from limb."

"An interesting scenario but I doubt its probability to occur." The Sorcerer replied and then vanished in the shadowy mist surrounding him. Terrador crashed through the vapour without hitting anything and he then bellowed as he was struck in his side by a fluorescent green ball of flames that seemed to stick to his scales and burn with a acrid smell.

From a boulder a few feet away the Sorcerer watched with sadistic glee as the dragon writhed in pain, the flames beginning to expand and spread across his body. The Ice guardian quickly descended and began to extinguish the blaze with his element, the cool winds soothing the charred scales and revealing the patchy, black burns that Terrador had been left with.

The Sorcerer's hands began to glow with an ominous purple light and he smirked beneath his shroud, thanking his cursed luck that he now had two targets presented in front of him. He raised his hands, took aim at the dragons as the glow flashed into brilliance and then he fell to the floor, his body racked by yellow sparks, his hands loosing their grasp on the dark energies.

Volteer, after preventing the Sorcerer from attacking, then took to the air again, flying close to Ignitus. The Sorcerer wheezed as he slowly rose to his feet, smoke drifting up from his shoulders, the revealed deep-blue scales on his back glistening in the light of the sun. He hadn't expected that, which he cursed himself for; fighting four dragons at once required him to be aware of all of them at all times.

He watched as the fire and electric dragons circled in the air, and the ice and earth attempt to join them; he had a few seconds, much to his relief. He summoned forth a portion of his shadow from beneath his feet and cast it onto himself, muttering a few archaic phrases. He sighed as he felt his cloaks and shrouds re-stitch themselves, hiding his body beneath them once again and then he focused on the yellow dragon. "How astute of you to realise that I can only cast one spell at a time, you knew I had no defences." He shouted to him.

Volteer made no response except to fire another bolt of lightning, which once again glanced of the Sorcerer even before it made contact. "But you see, I have something to compensate for that minor shortcoming." The Sorcerer then took the horn from around his neck and yanked it off its chain, scattering the other gems connected to it across the floor.

Ignitus saw what the Sorcerer was doing and his eyes widened in alarm. "Everyone, move!" He yelled, taking flight towards the horizon as fast as his wings could carry him. Volteer did as instructed, sensing the fear in Ignitus' voice, and flew after Ignitus, looking for an explanation for their retreat. "He has one of Spyro's horns," was the only explanation he received; but that was enough and Volteer accelerated, the nature of his element allowing him to reach faster speeds than his fellow guardians.

The Sorcerer grinned madly, knowing that he had fended them off, at least for now. But there were still two guardians nearby, completely within reach. The horn in his hands began to shake as a string of words, almost whispers, were released into the air. He watched as the ice guardian fled, forgetting everything in his frenzied escape. Terrador, however, was too injured to move at any great speed and as the Sorcerer muttered the last of his spell and the horn flashed a bright orange, illuminating the area, a devastating wave of black energy expanded outwards towards the hapless dragon.

Terrador's roars of pain filled the wastelands as he was pummelled by the energy. Ignitus and Volteer turned to face their doomed friend, their faces filled with hate and anger. Cyril flicked his tail furiously behind him as he flew ahead of the energy wave, wanting to go back and assist Terrador but knowing that if he stopped he'd share the same fate.

The mighty earth dragon fell to his knees, his flail-tipped tail smashing deep pits in the earth as it thrashed about. The energy was unrelenting as it continued to ravage his body, aggravating his already sustained injuries and opening up new ones that gushed blood at sporadic intervals. The Sorcerer watched with satisfaction as that blood began to boil and bubble and the dragon before him began to lose its strength and collapse to the floor, a few twitches showing any indication of life.

Eventually the dark energy waves faded, the magic fuelling them dissipating. The Sorcerer looked at the purple dragon's horn and was quite amazed to see that it was relatively still intact with only a few small holes evident on its surface. "My, my," he muttered as he began moving to the now motionless dragon corpse ahead of him, "usually magic like that requires the whole horn. I have no doubt that the reason behind it is that the source of the horn was a great purple dragon; even I'm not that arrogant to assume my abilities have progressed that far."

He kicked the earth dragon's body once, noticing the blood leaking from every orifice. "It's a shame your friends new better, they would have made lovely trophies in my master's temple." He looked into the distance to see the three remaining guardians. They were hovering in position, watching the Sorcerer. "Waste not want not, I suppose." He then said, knowing that the dragons were watching him and then began to wrench at the horns attached to the earth guardian.

It took a few moments but with a sickening crack the horns came free and The Sorcerer placed them under his arm. They were bigger than Spyro's so he couldn't wear them around his neck but he could store them more easily once he had time; he'd grind them down to a powder and store them in vials, as he usually would.

Three furious cries came from the guardians and they turned away, descending to the ground and out of sight. The Sorcerer knew that they wouldn't be foolish enough to attack him again, not when he possessed objects that could devastate them with but a few words. Of course, if they were foolish enough then they'd find that they could easily overpower him; using such magics weakens the wielder. At the moment the Sorcerer would only be able to cast simple spells until he had time to recover.

He was relatively certain, however, that the guardians wouldn't come after him again. They'd stay out of sight and await his departure, then they would collect the earth guardians body and retreat to Warfang. "They'll think up a new plan there," he muttered as he set out for the trapped dreadwing a few hundred feet from him. "But by then I'll be crossing my master's threshold into his temple with my prisoners. By then it will be too late."

--

Ignitus burned the ground around him with a fury no one had witnessed for over a century. The sand and dust began to glow with the heat they absorbed and the air around him began to distort the visions of the other two dragons as the temperature began to rise. "I should have went back for him as soon as I saw Spyro's horn!" He bellowed between bursts.

"Calm down, Ignitus," Volteer consoled. "None of us foresaw the events in the vision pool, we all knew the risks involved. What transpired today is a great loss to us all but we must take solace in the fact that Terrador died a warrior's death, you know that he wouldn't have had it any other way." Volteer's words took a while to take hold in Ignitus' mind but soon the fire dragon's fury began to die down until only a gently bubbling anger consumed him.

"What do we do now?" Cyril quietly asked, playing the battle through his mind again and again, counting just how many times he could have ensured Terrador's survival. "We can't attack him again, not without more to help us."

Ignitus growled deeply, his eyes focused on the speck in the distance. "It'll take time for us to return with a force able to defeat the Sorcerer and by then he may have already reached Malefor. We can only hope that Spyro and Cynder have the initiative to avoid recapture. If they even allow their concentration to slip just once then The Sorcerer will find them and all will be lost." Cyril and Volteer grimly nodded and then all three of them lay down, awaiting the chance to recover Terrador's body and return to the city.

**You'll notice I cut down any 'M' related material here to a bare minimum. This story isn't about M stuff and I'm defianetly not focusing on it. As far as I'm concerned it's just a little bonus to fill in space when I need to and to serve as a writing exercise for me. So basically if you're here just to read about the sex I wouldn't get your hopes up. Sure you might get lucky and have a few paragraphs here and there but the real lemon isn't coming until the very last chapter...at least that's what I'm planning so far. **

**I know I sound like I'm in a particularly off mood but that's because I am, I've had a very bad week so please, any comments asking why I'm bitching are really not necessary. Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I thought the fight was a little lackluster but it's the most I feel like writing at the moment and people tend to just disagree with me anyway. Reviews are welcomed.**


	8. Becoming one

**Ok, I'm aware it's been a hell of a long time since I've updated but you all know why by now so I won't bother going into the details. Instead I will tell you that this chapter marks the first lemon I have ever posted. I thought as an apology it would sit well with you all that have waited so patiently, plus it seemed like the right time to include one. Now, as this is my first I am really not sure about it so please, just remember that it's my first try at something like this whilst you're reading. Ok, enjoy.**

Despite what was surely about to happen, Spyro couldn't help but think that the floor was cold. When he realised what he was thinking about however he quickly brought himself back to focus, concentrating on Cynder's eyes that were staring up at him from between his legs. They hadn't left his face, always staring at him ever since she had told him to relax. But she hadn't done anything yet and that was what confused him the most.

She then unexpectedly stood up from where she was sitting between his legs and slowly walked over him. She fanned her wings behind her, blocking out the sun coming in through the rocks behind her and stood over him, her chest above his and his member between her hind legs. She then simply stared into his eyes again, her wings still fanned out behind her and her tail gently swaying, wafting an increasingly intensifying smell coming from the dragoness.

"Um…Cynder?" He said, his instincts suddenly telling him something that he thought was pretty important. "I think…that…I'm not meant to be the one on the floor." Cynder finally made a response to that and smirked at him as she looked down on him. She then took a step backwards, bent her knees and lowered herself onto his body. From there she slid upwards, making him groan as she glided across his member and sandwiched it between their underbellies.

She only stopped when she was lying completely on top of him, staring into his eyes with her muzzle to his. "Oh, Spyro. I know that your instincts are telling you to take the dominant role in our…relationship. But when I'm in season I am in control and when I'm in control I get to be on top. Besides, you aren't strong enough at the moment to be able to take that role, just let me do all the work." She then licked the tip of his snout, her tongue flicking at his draconic lips.

Spyro somehow knew what she wanted and he flicked his own tongue out, the two thin organs brushing against each other and skimming the rims of their maws. Cynder then began to caress his head with her wings and scrape her claws along his chest, the sharp appendages feeling like gentle caresses against his hard, smooth scales.

Spyro's mind went blank as Cynder continued to touch his body, exploring it with every part of hers. He enjoyed the touches to his chest and enjoyed it even more when she suddenly opened her mouth and gently brushed her teeth against his snout. He had no idea why he enjoyed the gentle bites she was giving him, this whole experience was new to him. But nevertheless he still joined in, opening his own mouth to gently bite her back, their teeth knocking together.

Cynder's maw widened as she smiled. She was finally getting what she'd craved for the past few days and now that she could think clearly she realised that she really did want it. She wanted nothing more than to be with Spyro as close as possible. To be with him for the rest of their lives, and maybe start a family when they were ready. The thought of laying an egg and raising it besides Spyro made her heart flutter and she increased her display of affections.

The sudden increase surprised Spyro. It seemed like she was leading him into things that he just simply followed. And that proved true when Cynder began to move her tongue against his teeth, sliding it between the white fangs and then flicking at his gums before finally brushing against the rough surface of the roof of his mouth. He hesitated at first but soon followed suit, feeling her shudder against him as he explored her mouth.

Cynder's body began to grow hotter again as he finally pulled his mouth from hers and nuzzled the side of her head, gently rubbing his nostrils over her scent infused scales. She smelled wondrous to him, a sweet yet pungent aroma that burned in his nostrils and seemed to seep into his very core as he inhaled it. Until now he had never appreciated it. It had always been there, a faint trace of it underlying whatever other smells that were present around him. But now that he was this close to her and she was producing much more of it he couldn't help but smell nothing else.

As Cynder purred from his affections she leaned her head into him and shifted slightly. This caused Spyro to suddenly feel an intense heat on his left hind leg, and that same area on his leg suddenly felt wet. It didn't take him long to figure out what it was and he blushed hotly and jerked his head as a wave of Cynder's scent hit him. As he pulled his head back and snorted, however, he accidentally hit Cynder hard on the side of the head with his own.

He was about to apologise when he was suddenly hit back by Cynder, who growled amorously at him and then butted him with her head again. Confused slightly, Spyro experimentally butted her back and received another alluring growl and bump from her. She then licked softly at the scales on his neck beneath his jaw and then gently nipped at them, the sharp pains making Spyro growl in approval.

Whilst she lovingly nibbled on his scales Cynder managed to inhale a copious amount of Spyro's own scent, the musky odour of which only fuelled her heat even more. She decided she loved the smell and began to take deep breaths of it, the powerful exhales against his body making Spyro shudder whilst he scratched at the side of her neck with his claws tenderly.

He then stretched his arms further down her back and raked his claws between her wing joints, making them flutter and fall limp on either side of her. The attention to her back caused her to stop biting him and instead she just fell limp against him, a deep purr escaping her throat.

Cynder wanted nothing more than to move on to the next step. Her instincts had told her exactly what to do to him to bring the most comfort and pleasure to them both so far. His own instincts had told him what to do in return. But right now there was only one thing she wanted to do next but she felt like she had to do something first before her season clouded her mind again.

"Hmmm…Spyro?" She muttered to him as he moved his hands back down to her neck and gently scratched behind her horns. "You know what, you're really good at this, but you have to stop for a second, I have to tell you something." Spyro complied, moving his arms down to his chest and then staring into Cynder's eyes; he could see the lust barely contained within them.

"I want you to know, Spyro," she began, keeping her eyes fixed on his, "that what we are about to do isn't because I'm in my season, nor because I just want to know what it feels like." Spyro remained quite, doing exactly what was told of him. "I want to do this because…well because I love you. I want to do this because we might not get another chance to. And I want to do this because you're the only dragon I would ever want to do this with and raise a child."

It was at this point that Spyro realised that she really was in control of herself. The way she pulled him into the small cave and immediately pinned him to the floor had made him doubt that but the fact that she'd stopped them both in the middle of their behaviour was proof that pushed away those doubts. "Cynder," Spyro began, "I don't know what exactly I'm doing. The Guardians never taught either of us about what we're doing and I don't know exactly how eggs come about from this, all I know is that's what my instincts are telling me and to tell you the truth…I wouldn't mind having an egg with you because I love you too."

Cynder smiled at him and nuzzled the side of his head, she was extremely happy that he understood. "I was nervous at first," Spyro then continued, making Cynder look at him again. "I didn't know if we should be doing anything whilst you were acting so strange, especially under the circumstances we were in. But now that I've learnt a bit more about it and gotten used to it I can't see anything wrong with it. But you know…we really should be trying to get to safety."

"Oh, Spyro," Cynder said, worried that he wasn't going to go through with it. "We're stuck in the middle of nowhere, you're not in a position to fight and I can't fight with you weighing me down because of this chain. If we left this cave now before the Guardians come for us then we'll be spotted by The Sorcerer. The best thing we can do is just sit tight and wait until it's safe to leave." Spyro found himself nodding in agreement as she spoke; it did make sense. "So in the meantime we can…well…" Cynder paused, for some reason feeling slightly embarrassed, "…continue."

She then sat up, lifting her chest off of his and towering above him, still keeping eye contact. Spyro watched as she shifted herself, placing her hind legs on the floor on either side of his, her forearms firmly placed on his chest to support her. Spyro then looked beneath her. His dragon-hood, after being held beneath her for so long, now stood upright, pointing up between her legs where, for the first time, he saw her exposed opening.

He had to admit to himself, it did look a little strange, it seemed to him like nothing more than a visibly damp, horizontal slit between two of her larger scales. But he didn't dwell on it; instead he looked back up at his mate's face, the worried expression providing more proof that she wasn't a slave to her season. "It's ok, Cynder," Spyro said to her, trying to ease her nerves, which he found funny; he was probably just as nervous as her. "We don't have to do this, we-"

"No," Cynder interrupted, silencing the male beneath her. "I'm not that worried that I have to stop. It's just…" She stopped, looked down between them, and then looked back at his face. "It's just...I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing." There was silence after that as they looked at each other, then a short laugh suddenly burst from Spyro closely followed by one from Cynder. "Well it's not my fault, I'm just as uneducated as you are, aren't I? I have an idea but beyond that I don't have a clue."

They both continued to smile at each other, both taking comfort in the fact that neither of them knew more than the other. Then Cynder's face gained a determined look and she began to move and shift above him. Spyro was confused at first, but then he felt her lower herself and then her body came into contact with his member. He thought that was it, and that she'd succeeded but then he felt it slip and she growled with frustration.

She then bent her neck to actually look at what she was trying to do and then tried again. Spyro watched, feeling slightly useless; he hadn't actually done anything yet and all his instincts were doing was screaming at him to get off the floor. But he knew Cynder wouldn't let him.

His thoughts on the subject suddenly vanished as he felt a strange sensation at the tip of his penis. Cynder had found her mark and now looked back at his face. "Are you ready?" She asked him as she kept perfectly still.

"Whenever you are." He simply said, his heart beating faster than ever before. Cynder nodded and then Spyro felt her weight shift as she pressed down on his chest and lowered her hips towards his. Spyro shuddered as he felt his member enter her opening; he had never felt something so strange in his life. The heat didn't startle him, he had expected it, but the resistance he felt, however, wasn't totally expected.

In Cynder's mind that resistance was uncomfortable. But somehow she knew she was doing the right thing and continued to lower herself down on top of him. She didn't know how to describe the feeling; she had nothing to compare it to. All she knew was that she was stretching around Spyro as he was pushed in and that feeling of stretching made her want to push him in deeper. So she did; quickly. And that was when she felt pain.

Spyro saw her grimace and hid any hint of pleasure on his face; if she was in pain he didn't want her to know that he was feeling good. "What's wrong?" He asked her, trying to put concern into his shaking voice.

Cynder kept still, no longer moving downwards or upwards, the grimace slowly fading from her face as she growled quietly. "Nothing…" She said, "It just…hurts a bit." Spyro gave a worried growl and was hit by a wave of guilt when she said that. Cynder saw it on his face and shook her head. "It's not your fault…I guess I just went a little too fast. Just give me a second and I'll continue, it's already feeling more uncomfortable than painful."

With that Spyro calmed down slightly, and Cynder could concentrate on her feelings. Although it did feel uncomfortable having Spyro embedded within her, she did feel a sort of completeness, as if it was meant to be there. Her muscles couldn't help but contract around him and every time they did she felt Spyro throb inside her, which caused her spine to shiver.

Spyro, on the other hand, completely understood what he was feeling; guilt, pleasure, and nervousness. As he lay there he took note of how he could feel Cynder's pulse with his member. The phallus inside her body feeling every beat of her heart that seemed to be racing much faster than his own; he assumed it was because of her season. The guilt came from the fact he was feeling such pleasures, the constriction of her opening around him and the heat and tightness he felt, coming as a result of her pain.

Spyro then felt those pleasures he was feeling move downwards towards his hips as Cynder, without warning, continued to bring herself closer to him. She had adjusted to the unexpected stretching she had been subjected to and decided to continue, finally placing her hips firmly against Spyro's and nuzzling the side of his face with her muzzle.

She now couldn't think of anything other than the fact that she was now joined with Spyro more intimately than ever before. The realisation that she had chosen her mate then dawned on her as she began to become increasingly aware of the pleasant sensations she was feeling as a result of having something inside her. "It feels…odd." She said, unsure of a word to describe her feelings. It wasn't quite pleasure, but it wasn't discomfort either.

Spyro, however, definitely knew that pleasure was the right word for him. And he could no longer hide it as he quietly groaned at the warm flesh surrounding his member. Cynder smiled when she heard him, happy that he was enjoying himself. But she was pretty certain that she should be feeling like that too. She slowly began lifting herself up, transferring weight from her arms on his chest to her legs and that's when she felt the pleasure.

She could feel Spyro rubbing against her insides as she continued to rise, the movements inside her slick and fluid, almost no resistance whatsoever. But there was still a gentle pulling, as if her body didn't want to release its hold on the organ that had intruded in her. And that pulling was what gave Spyro a new sensation to process within his mind.

Cynder continued to pull herself off of Spyro's member whilst he groaned and squirmed in pleasure beneath her. But where he once inhabited her felt empty and cold and so she reversed her direction, bringing herself back down and moaning out as she felt him rub her in a different direction. She hilted him inside her again and felt that fullness from before but all feelings of discomfort were completely replaced with enjoyment and contentment.

"This is amazing," she whispered as she began her rise again, her body temperature increasing in response to her needs being met after being denied for so long. Spyro welcomed the extra heat and as Cynder reached the top of her ascent and began her journey back down along his length he thrust upwards against her, causing him to enter her much faster than before, the sudden fullness making Cynder gasp and give a long drawn out purr.

Spyro also purred, discovering that faster movements increased the level of pleasure he felt, this time the pleasure seeping further into his body, somewhere in his loins. He found himself wanting to do something with his arms that had so far been kept to his chest. But he didn't know what to do with them as he couldn't hold Cynder and he didn't want to distract her from what she was already doing. Instead he simply pawed the air in front of him, just short of Cynder's chest.

Cynder's continuous movements along his length kept his claws away from her but every now and then she lingered with him inside her so she could feel him scratch her chest, the sharp claws giving her a thrill she couldn't explain. Her movements grew faster and faster as her inner lubricants increased and Spyro's own fluids added to it. Their bodies were no longer quite as she rose and fell on top of her mate, the occasional wet slap sounding out inside the cave.

Cynder's wings hung limply off her back, unable to think about the muscles used to keep them tucked away as she began to push herself harder off Spyro and using less weight to support herself when she came back down, which, coupled with Spyro's thrusts, added more friction and force to their copulation.

They both began to pant between their moans and growls as their tails, seemingly acting of their own accord, began to wrap around each other, rubbing against each other along the cold, stony floor like two snakes mimicking their mating.

Droplets of sweat began to form on their bodies, the pores beneath their scales secreting sweat along with their combined scents. Spyro felt the drops fall off Cynder and splash against his chest as his insides began to tighten. He didn't know what it was but it made him lift his neck off the floor and grip onto Cynder's chest as he began to thrust faster.

Cynder was feeling something similar as her passage began to tighten around Spyro's member and quiver, as if trying to provide as much pleasure to Spyro as possible. And Cynder's body was successful in that feat as Spyro suddenly became rigid and sunk himself inside Cynder. As Cynder came to the bottom of one of her descents Spyro gripped her back and pulled her tightly against his chest.

The only other thing Cynder wasn't expecting after that was a sudden throb of Spyro's length inside her and then a powerful discharge of a viscous liquid inside her. It was hot, which startled her as she was already as hot as she thought she was ever going to get. The surging liquid continued and Spyro continued to try and push himself in deeper, the tiny thrusts making Cynder purr louder and moan longer until finally the tightening of her muscles suddenly increased tenfold and she cried out, digging her claws into Spyro's body and holding on to him tightly.

Spyro felt a splash of liquids and an almost vice like grip as Cynder joined him in their climax. They held onto each other, Spyro deciding that he wanted to bite on to Cynder's neck and Cynder willing to allow him. So he did, placing his jaws around her black and scarlet scaled throat and simply hanging onto it, not adding too much pressure and not keeping too much off so that his presence was felt but wasn't painful.

They remained like that for a few more seconds, the both of them quivering together, until they felt their bodies begin to calm down, Cynder's sex reducing its grip on Spyro's member and Spyro no longer throbbing and twitching. Then they remained still, Spyro still embedded within Cynder whilst she gently stroked her claws against his scales.

Spyro released her neck and began to nuzzle her head, brushing his damp scales against hers and purring affectionately into her ears. "Thank you," Cynder finally whispered, turning her head to lick the tip of Spyro's snout. "That was incredible…and I'm glad that it was you I did that with…my mate." She then rubbed her snout against his and curled her neck to rest her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.

Spyro felt a wave of tiredness wash over him but he didn't think it would be right to embrace it and fall asleep. "I'm sorry that I was so dismissive of you when you first entered your season." He began to say, choosing to talk rather than sleep. "I wasn't aware that this was the only way to ease your needs."

"And you certainly have," Cynder interrupted. "I haven't felt this calm since I first woke up still embedded in the crystal."

Spyro smiled, happy to hear that. "But I'm glad we could wait until now, so we could have some privacy and be alone. I have to admit I don't like the idea of us mating whilst still in that cage, especially because the Sorcerer could have stopped to watch." Spyro felt her nod her head in agreement against his chest and he began to return the gentle scratching she was giving him, placing his claws against her back and gently massaging her scales. "I love you," he whispered.

She purred at that, "I love you too," she said in return as Spyro joined in, the two of them basking in the afterglow of their union. They remained like that, enjoying each other's intimate company, lying in the warm and now damp cave, completely unawares of the sniffing and snorting of a creature outside the cave. A creature accompanied by another garbed in black shrouds, a mere twenty or so feet away from the rocky outcrop that concealed the young dragons.

**Reviews are more appreciated now than they ever have been. I am completely unsure of how this will be recieved and how well I managed to write it. As such I would love any comment you could have on it, be it a criticism, a complaint, some tips or even just a basic compliment to ease my worries about this whole thing. I want to use this lemon as a way to work out any mistakes I've made in making lemons so that any future ones, and I've decided there will definately be more somewhere, will be better and well written for your enjoyment. One aspect I would particularly like to have feedback on was whether I captured their animal sides right. Obviously they're sentient but you can't forget that they're animals so I tried to include as much animal behaviour I could think of. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now, please review, it would be a really, really big help to me.**


	9. Auther's note Not bad news

**For all those very patient, and loyal readers. **

**I am, indeed, not dead. I understand that quite a few of you must be upset that I have disappeared into the void that most fan fiction writer's tend to fall into. However, I am trying to claw my way out. It may not seem like it but I definitely want to finish each of these stories; I'm just not sure on when I can do so.**

**I have, in fact, a chapter for each of the stories that I have on going, half written, stuck with a writer's block on each one. So, as a result, I am going to try a different approach. As you can imagine, one would get rusty if they haven't written consistently in a while so I am going to write another short story. **

**This, will be posted on Valentine's day, and will be understandably romance orientated. I am doing this because I enjoyed writing 'The Courtship Festival' and I have nothing better to do to celebrate that particular day. I am hoping that it will get me back into the swing of things for me to be able to write freely again, and that it will rekindle my inspiration for the Eragon/Saphira pairing, as this story will be dedicated to that theme. (Psyclone, if he's still out there, will have an idea of the story line as we discussed it some time ago.)**

**So, once again, I am sorry, if that means anything any more, and I hope to be back soon. I apologise for not responding to most PMs and Reviews but there are that many now that I wont be able to respond to them. But, I will try to respond to any that anyone would like to send from here on in.**

**I hope to see you all on Monday.**

**Fresh Blood.**


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